The Deity of Spring
by DarqueDeath4444
Summary: Swearing revenge upon the world for the sins committed against her thousands of years ago Kaguya rose from the ashes, bringing with her an army of Zetsus, and began a slow but sure march towards the Elemental Nations. Faced with a threat like never before the people, in a desperate effort to make a stand, turn towards another legend, the Deity of Spring, for help. AU/SakuMulti.
1. Chapter 1

**New story...yeah.**

 _ **Chapter ONE**_

"War is coming."

"War is already here. Even now, the humans are fighting."

"No, war is currently _there._ Here is currently safe. Here, there is no war. _"_

"Currently?"

"Yes. War is coming. It is coming _here._ Humans are coming. They will bring it with them _."_

* * *

"Report!"

"The outer northern defense point just barely managed to hold off the assault. Countless of our men were lost and just as many were injured. I doubt they can hold off another attack."

Senju Tsunade of the Land of Fire snarled in annoyance and slammed a fist onto the table. Beside her, Sabaku no Gaara of the Land of Wind winced at the sound but he did not move to stop her as she proceeded to shatter the wood with her bare hands.

"We did not expect it would hold for long," Terumi Mei of the Land of Water said. "Do we rebuild it and send more men to try and strengthen it?"

"The point of the northern defense was to buy time for the defenses closer to home to fortify," Onoki of the Land of Earth said.

"Defenses that are nowhere near ready," Mei retorted, then added softly. "The northern fort was meant to last longer."

"But it did not," Gaara replied. "We cannot dwell on it any longer, and we must assume the worse. Another attack and the fort will fall. We must decide what we are to do before the enemy moves first."

Tsunade cursed under her breath again. She picked up the many maps and other pieces of paper that now littered the ground and dumped them all onto another table. "Gaara is correct," she said. "This was the worst outcome possible, but it was already considered as a possibility."

"Only the worst outcomes have become reality," A of the Land of Lightning said. "We are waging war against a _God._ Perhaps we are only delaying the inevitable."

If someone had told a drunk Tsunade five years ago that a sealed Goddess would one day appear to exterminate mankind for some onlygodknown reason, she would have laughed. If she had been sober, she would have punched them and demanded they get back to work. The Gods, after all, had vanished off the planes of the Earth countless generations ago. Some had returned to their realm completely, while those who had remained never again directly appeared before humans. Ever since, while reports of unexplainable occurrences did appear once in a while, no Deity had appeared to claim responsibility.

But then, it had happened. Four years ago, the world had changed. Kaguya was said to be the Goddess of Creation, the being that had created the world as it had first been, but when she had appeared before mankind millennia after the Gods had banished themselves from the plane, there had been no traces of love or even attachment a reator might have had towards their creation. There had been slightly less famous versions of the legend, where the Goddess had been sealed by other Deities for reasons unstated, but she was nothing like the Mother the more popular version of the legends had claimed her to be. An army of white blobs known as Zetsu crawled out of the grave behind her and she brought with her millennia of anger and vengeance and had sworn the world would pay for what it had done to her before she had vanished. Everyone was to suffer for sins committed thousands of generations ago.

It had started as rumors, starting with how the Goddess emerged from the ruined lands where the Otsutsuki clan, the first of the Gods that had forsaken godhood to live as humans, had once lived and had slowly begun her advance towards the Elemental Nations.

However, by then, Gods had been nothing but a legend; the Elemental Nations had been the ruling forces of the lands for as long as history had recorded, and they had believed themselves to be undefeatable. People escaped the path of the Goddess and her army, but those who hadn't seen did not take the rumors and stories seriously.

Soon, the armies of white Zetsu began to make appearances near the edges of the borders and the Nations all dealt with them in their own way. Perhaps the stories were true, they had thought, but back then, it had been nothing. They had all emerged victorious in several battles against the white armies and no one feared something they could defeat.

Then, as though done with playing around, Kaguya unleashed her terror upon the world. Suddenly, the Zetsus were no longer seemingly brain-dead white clones. They became stronger and fiercer, and people sent to exterminate then slowly began failing to return. Others were sent after them, only to witness the horrors as friends and family were consumed by the Zetsu and they became one themselves.

Suddenly, white Zetsu kill counts were no longer a bragging story among the leaders of the Nations during peace conferences, but a real threat.

The Elemental Nations had never really gotten along and border skirmishes had been as common as tea with neighbors, but as more and more news of fear began to spread, an alliance had been formed to confront this sudden, unknown danger.

They hadn't known, however, who this enemy really was.

Kaguya had been reduced to a mythological story, a figure said to have been the creator of the lands. However, it appeared as though years of imprisonment and pent-up anger had driven her mad. Their opponent was a Goddess, and to her, they probably weren't a threat.

For four years, closely approaching five, the Elemental Nations had put up a fight against the never-ending white Zetsu army. Forts and strongholds that had been built to be used against one another became standing points against the Goddess' forces. Her advances were slow, but they were sure, and many had begun to lose hope of winning.

"If we surrender, we die. If we fight and lose, we die," Tsunade said gravely. "There is nothing wrong with trying to reach the only outcome where we don't die."

A stared at her for a while, before he nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Let us consult Shikaku-san," Gaara suggested, and Tsunade nodded.

"I will have him called."

Nara Shikaku was the head of a clan of the Land of Fire, and his intellect was unrivaled. Even those of other lands had heard of his mental prowess and no one would be too opposed to admit that he was probably the best strategist the alliance had.

The man arrived a few minutes later, arms stacked with scrolls. No one questioned him as he called out a greeting before he dumped his armload on top of the maps.

Gaara curiously picked at one and blinked. "...Myths and legends?"

Onoki looked up at Gaara's question and he too picked up a scroll. "Are these...children stories?"

Mei peeked over the man's shoulder and smiled. "Oh! I remember that one."

Tsunade eyed the man, knowing that he had a reason behind his action. "What are you thinking, Nara?" She asked.

Shikaku shrugged as he sat down on an open chair. "Our opponent is a legend, a story," he said. "Or, she was until one day she wasn't."

A narrowed his eyes a little and Tsunade noted the Nara head's apparent love of speaking in riddles. "We are at _war_ here," she reminded him. "Against a _Goddess_."

"Get to it," A barked at the same time.

Shikaku sighed and raised his hands in mock surrender. "What I'm trying to say is, we're pushed to the edge. We all know this Goddess is much more powerful than what she is currently showing us. I'm willing to bet a lifetime of paperwork without a single word of complaint that she could kill us all off the moment she truly feels like it."

"And while this is cute," Mei picked up one of the scrolls, "How is this supposed to help us?"

"Our opponent is a legend," Gaara said slowly. "She was supposed to be a story." He glanced over at Shikaku, and the man nodded.

"The Gods vanished themselves from before mankind after a huge war that almost destroyed the lands," he said. "However, it's a known fact that some of them did not leave this plane, but have simply gone into hiding."

"He's lost it," A declared.

"If that _is_ the case, why haven't they shown themselves already?" Mei prompted.

Shikaku lazily fished through his pile of stories. "And why would they?" He asked. "It's almost an established fact that Gods could not careless for humans. They are _Gods_ , and we were mere mortals. If Kaguya's creation stories are true, _she made us._ An argument is that why shouldn't she destroy us at will? We _are_ hers, after all."

"So, say Kaguya is not the only one still here, and that some of the others are still here in the plane," Onoki said. "What, do you suggest we go hunting them down and ask them to help us?"

Shikaku shrugged again. "Well, we _are_ standing on the edge of a cliff, and Kaguya is slowly pushing us over. I certainly wouldn't mind grasping at another way out."

Tsunade closed her eyes and counted to twenty. They were getting desperate, but were they desperate enough to split their quickly declining resources and men towards hunting down the Gods, who had gone into hiding had remained unfound for thousands of years?

"Do you have any other suggestions?" Onoki asked. "Or is this the only thing you prepared?"

Shikaku fished through the scrolls and pulled out a folder. "Well, I also did calculate the manpower and resources we would need to have the northern fort fixed by tomorrow night, as well as a map of the most effective way to travel there."

Tsunade took the file from him and read through it.

"I say we vote," Gaara said. "Either way, we're slowly dying."

"Wait, we're actually considering the Deity hunt?" A asked.

"There isn't much we can do," Tsunade said slowly. "If we send the minimum to both the northern fort, we can spare a few to the hunt."

"I think it might be worth a shot," Mei said. "The Gods have always been a little distant; maybe they don't even know one of their kind is wrecking havoc on this plane."

"You're desperate," A said accusingly.

"No," Gaara said. " _We're_ desperate. We are fighting a Goddess who holds a grudge from thousands of years ago. She is out to destroy the world and everything that exists on the lands. Thinking we had much of a fighting chance in the first place was an act of desperation."

"Still, we are sending out men that we could be using to fortify the defenses around our camp out on a mission to look for something that might not even be found," Onoki pointed out. "I understand where A is coming from."

Gaara crossed his arms and leaned back. "So we vote," he repeated.

Tsunade turned to Shikaku, who looked ready to fall asleep. "I take there's a reason you brought these in particular?" She pressed. "Out of everything else you could have found in the kiddie section of the library?"

Shikaku yawned and slowly sat up. "These are all a part of the Creation legend," he explained. "You know, the one where Kaguya is the creator of the world? I thought that if we really were going out grasping at straws of myths and legends, I thought they'd be slightly closer to the truth."

"Did any, in particular, stand out?"

Shikaku nodded and held up a single scroll. "Have you heard the story about the Deity of Spring?"

* * *

"What did she say?"

"She thinks the war there will be coming here."

"Did she say 'think'?"

"...No."

"So they will come here."

"I was hoping they wouldn't."

"That's humans to you; they can never keep their problems to themselves. They aren't satisfied until they drag everyone else into it too. They think their own problems are everyone else's. Did she say _why_ they would be coming here?"

"No. She fell asleep soon after, and I didn't want to wake her up."

"Ah, well, knowing that would have been nice, but I guess it doesn't matter too much."

"If they come to kill her, we'll kill them. If they come to hurt her, we'll kill them. If they come to take her away, we'll kill them. If they come to use her, we'll kill them."

"I'm just wondering, is there an outcome where we _don't_ kill them?"

"...If they're here to pledge themselves to be faithful servants and offer their hearts and their lives as tribute."

"How are they supposed to serve her if they give their lives? They'd be dead and useless then, 'ttebayo."

"...Hn."

* * *

 **So, new story. This one's AU. Yeah. More will be explained later. Maybe. Yeah.**

 _ **Darque: I changed my mind. I reset any promises I made about not uploading new stories. I TAKE IT**_ **ALL** ** _BACK._**

 **Raven:...**

 _ **Darque: This is my goddamn account; I will upload and update as I please.**_

 **Raven:...**

 _ **Darque: UhHuh! I WILL DO AS I PLEASE.**_

 **Raven:...No one is saying anything, girl.**

 **Read and Review~**


	2. Chapter 2

**We explain a few things about this world at the bottom, so if you're confused, check it out!**

 _ **Chapter TWO**_

"Looks like the sun's setting."

"It is, so get lost already."

"Hey! What did I ever do to you?"

"Hn."

"I get it! You're just _jealous_ because you're finally awake, and she's gone to sleep."

"I am _not_."

"Don't bother denying it; I remember that time all those years ago when you demanded why you-"

"I said _shut up._ "

"Actually, you didn't, but that's beside the point. It's only for one night. She did a little...reading; she always gets tired after those."

"...Hn."

"Heh. Well, I can feel myself falling asleep on my feet, so I'm going to go crash. If anything happens, wake me, okay?"

"I doubt you'd be of any use in the state you're in."

"...I mean it."

"...I know. I will."

* * *

Nara Shikamaru had known something was up when he found his father digging around through the books and scrolls that had survived the destructions of the waging war. After the man had left, he had looked around what was left.

 _What was his father doing with a bunch of fairytales?_

Shikamaru had been thirteen when the identity of the enemy had been revealed. He, like many, hadn't believed the stories until the capital city of the Land of Fire, Konoha, had been obliterated in mere seconds by a horned, white-haired woman that had appeared over them one day. She had appeared to bathe in the screams of the people as buildings and the trees and _everything_ he had ever known was crushed under an unknown force, floating over the crater that had once been his home.

The Goddess had left the survivors of the initial attack alive, stating that they were her messengers to the rest of the world that there was no escaping from the sins of mankind. That hadn't been necessary, though, because by the time the Hokage, Senju Tsunade, the leader of the Land of Fire, had managed to set up a temporary headquarters amid the destruction to try and organize rescues of those still stuck under the debris, news of the destruction of the other Elemental Nations had already reached their ears.

That had been the moment it had all sunk in; their opponent, the one he and his friends had laughed over just the previous day for having only white cloned blobs to send their way, was actually a Goddess, a Deity hellbent on making the world pay of crimes they didn't even know of. Unexplained occurrences had always been linked back to the Deities, and most had been relatively harmless. This, however, was not; they had simply underestimated how much of a danger it could actually be. After all, while they were all considered to be descendants of the Otsutsuki clan and many could still access a small part of this heritage which manifested itself in the form of chakra and the ability to mold it to control elements, they were all defects before a true Goddess.

He heard footsteps approach and stop outside the temporary text storage. "Shika?"

Shikamaru looked up at the familiar voice of his childhood friend, Yamanaka Ino. "In here," he replied.

The flap of the tent was pushed aside and a blonde girl stepped through. "What are you doing here?" She asked curiously. "Hokage-sama and the rest of the Kage called an emergency meeting; we're expected to attend. Choji is waiting for up outside the main tent."

Shikamaru nodded, surprised at the sudden summoning, but he stood up anyways. Perhaps his father's sudden interest in stories was somehow related to this meeting. "Right," he said. "Let's go."

Ino fell into step beside him as they hurried towards the main tent. "What were you doing?" She asked.

"Father wanted help with looking for books," he replied. "I was just wondering what he needed those for."

Ino tilted her head thoughtfully. "Maybe he wanted something to take his mind of things," she finally said, though she didn't sound convinced herself. "I heard the outer northern fort is expected to fall to the next attack."

Akimichi Choji, their other childhood friend, chose that moment to join them, and they traveled the last few steps in silence.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. Was slowly waiting to be destroyed truly all they could do?

* * *

Hyuuga Neji wordlessly followed his head of clan, Hiashi, as they made their way towards the command tent. He found that they were one of the last to arrive, with the heirs of the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka taking their seats beside their respective heads just as he pushed the flap aside.

He himself was not a head, nor was he an heir, but no one complained as he took a seat beside his clan head. Hinata, his cousin and eldest daughter of Hiashi, was over at the medical tent helping out with the injured.

He noted curiously that beside their Hokage stood Gaara, the Kazekage, and that half of the seats were occupied by people of the Land of Wind. He recognized the redhead's two older siblings, Temari and Kankuro, and recognized another redhead sitting nearby to be Akasuna no Sasori, a feared and respected warrior as well as a close consultant to the Kazekage.

Tsunade glanced around, before nodding. "I see we're all here. Good." She held up a single scroll and glanced over at Gaara before taking a deep breath and addressing everyone present. "We will be sending out a party to look for the Deity of Spring."

Neji paused, trying to figure out if he had really heard what he thought he had heard. He glanced over at his uncle, who looked shellshocked. Everyone began murmuring at one another.

"You mean the Deity of Spring, as in from the story?" Kankuro asked. Tsunade nodded firmly, and the man turned towards Gaara, who made no move to deny it. "Wait, seriously?"

"Kaguya, the Goddess of Creation, has revealed herself to mankind," Gaara said. "This proves that the story that not all Deities left our plane is true. The Deity of Spring is one of the few said to have stayed behind to watch over this world."

"So we're putting together a party to look for some Deity that's kept themselves hidden for a countless number of years?" Uchiha Fugaku asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

Another series of murmurs arose, but Tsunade called for attention, eyes blazing. "We are slowly headed towards defeat," she said, quietly. "Perhaps we can afford to be a little hopeful towards a possible different outcome."

"So we're going to find the Deity of Spring and ask them to help us fight Kaguya?" Yamanaka Inoichi asked.

Tsunade nodded. "Records state that the Forest of Death is where the Deity resides. It overlaps with the rumors of something unknown inhabiting those woods."

Area 44 on the official map of the Elemental Nations, otherwise known as the Forest of Death, was an unexplored area of trees that lay just beyond the borders of the Land of Fire. Years ago, exploration parties had been sent there, but none of them had returned. After suffering many more losses, the Land of Fire had simply cut off the Forest from its territory and it had since been untouched.

"But wasn't it that the unknown killed our men?" Akimichi Chouza asked, frowning. "Doesn't that mean that this _something_ won't be siding with us?"

"There is nothing left to lose," Tsunade said simply. "We can pick between dying while fighting, dying after we surrender, and dying after we are defeated."

"Land of Fire has the most knowledge around Area 44," Shikaku added. "Thus the Land of Fire will be taking up this role, with those of Wind will be sent for extra support."

"While this is going on, we will also be sending men and resources to the outer northern fort," Gaara said. "The Lands of Water, Earth, and Lightning are in charge of organizing that."

"Are there any questions?"

* * *

Inuzuka Kiba was not sure what he had been expecting his Hokage to say, but it was most definitely not what she had just told them. Beside him, his mother, Inuzuka Tsume, sat uncharacteristically still as Tsunade revealed their latest plan.

They were heading out to the one area everyone had been warned away from as a child in order to look for _something_ that _might_ help them against Kaguya.

"And what do we do if this Deity of Spring decides that we are unworthy of their support, and decides to destroy us too?" Tsume asked.

People began to shuffle nervously at that.

"The Deity of Spring is the representation of life," Shikaku said. "It is likely it will not be in their nature to kill."

"That is probably not what the men who never returned from those woods have to say," Fugaku said.

"Kaguya is the Goddess of Creation, and she seems father fixed on destroying us," Kankuro added.

"A version of the tales state that Kaguya was sealed away by the Gods before their banishment for a reason," Gaara said. "Perhaps this," he gestured around them vaguely, "is exactly why."

"Okay," a lazy voice drawled, and everyone, including Kiba, turned toward Sasori, who had been quiet up until that point. "So, we go out to look for some Deity that may or may not help us. If we don't go, we die. If we go, _maybe_ we don't die. If we don't find them, we die. If we find them, _maybe_ we don't die. If they decide to not help us, we die. If they decide to help us, _maybe_ we don't die." The redhead stretched. "The answer seems pretty obvious to me."

Kiba caught sight of Gaara rolling his eyes, but Sasori's words seemed to have hardened whatever decision had been brewing within everyone present.

"What is the plan?" Hiashi asked.

Tsunade closed her eyes and rubbed at the stop between them, and Kiba was once again reminded of how utterly exhausted the woman appeared. She had taken up the position as the Hokage only mere months before Konoha's fall. Her grandfather, Senju Hashirama, had been the first ever Hokage and the man had been the one to truly unite the Land of Fire into a single nation. He had served as the leader for five years before he had one day vanished without a trace, never to be found again. The position had been passed to his younger brother, Tobirama, until his death in battle years after. Tsunade was the fifth to take up the title, and Kiba was sure the woman was truly deserving of the position.

He watched her compose herself and she stood strong when everyone turned back to her. "I will now be reading out the names of those being sent on the search," she said. "From the Land of Fire, Uchiha Itachi, Hyuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru and Inuzuka Kiba." Those whose names had been called looked up. "Itachi will be leading this party."

Kiba felt something deep within him shake as his name was called alongside the others. He knew all three of them, Neji and Shikamaru from the Academy and everyone knew Itachi, the prodigal only heir to the Uchiha clan.

Gaara followed. "From the Land of Wind, I will be sending Akasuna no Sasori. You will also be accompanied by Deidara from Land of Earth, both of whom will also fall under Itachi-san's command."

"You are sending off the heirs of the most important clans on a mission they might not survive?" Tsume demanded, slamming her hands onto the table in front of her. Several other clan heads looked ready to protest as well.

"We are sending the minimum number of men we can spare," Tsunade said firmly. "I am sending the best of what we have. Skilled or not, heir or not, none of that matters when directly facing Kaguya."

Tsume looked ready to argue, but Kiba reached out to stop her. "I can do this," he said. "Let me do it."

Tsume looked torn for a second before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, he no longer saw a worried mother, but a woman proud of her son. "Right. I believe you."

Kiba grinned and turned to meet the gazes of his soon to be teammates.

It might be futile, but they were finally doing something more than waiting to be destroyed.

* * *

"Good morning."

"Hn."

"I'm up now; you can go to sleep."

"...I can stay up a while longer. The sun's not out yet. Why are _you_ awake so early?"

"I...heh, I was just a little worried."

"Doubting me?"

"Of course not! But, you know?"

"...Yeah."

"Has she made any signs of waking?"

"No."

"You know, I kind of wish the humans would come _now."_

"Why?"

"So that we can kill them while she's still resting, and she can wake up to no problems cause tada, we got rid of them for her."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Right? Too bad we can't."

"Leaving her here by herself is too risky."

"I know. I'm just saying."

"It's okay; we can just get rid of them when they arrive."

* * *

 **Here's chapter two, friends~**

* * *

 **First, some facts:**

 **-The Otsutsuki clan are a group of Gods that gave up Godhood around the same time the Deities vanished from before mankind. Over the years, they began to lose their Godly powers and became more and more human.**

 **-In this world, 'Chakra' is a form of energy that make up the Gods, and since all humans are descendants of the Otsutsuki clan, some can still access bits and pieces of this power.**

 **-Jutsu are merely a manipulation of the elements made possible by chakra. It is more 'raw' than the individual techniques that appear in Naruto.**

 **-Dojutsu and Kekkei Genkai do exist but are more like Hiden in this case (Hiden are techniques like the Nara's Kagemane and the Yamanaka's mind techniques; taught down the clan or generation, and not passed down via genetics like a Kekkei Genkai). Here, Kekkei Genkai are physical changes brought upon by the body slowly changing over time through the use of chakra, and then was genetically passed down, so there are no connections between the Sharingan, the Byakugan, and Kaguya (not yet anyway, cause we haven't thought that far). ((Look, we're already saying something that sounds like a spoiler.))**

 **-In this AU, there are no Shinobi, hence the Hidden villages are the capital cities of their respective Elemental nation (Konoha is the capital City of the Land of Fire). Instead, those who can access chakra and use it for the Nation are called 'warriors' (because we are uncreative).**

 **((To be honest, there wasn't much 'shinobi-ness' in the Naruto series. 'Shinobi' means 'to sneak' in Japanese, and blowing up someone with a Rasengan is the opposite of the definition. Besides, in Narutoverse almost everyone knows if you're a ninja! Ninja's served lords, but their respective Kage are also ninja! Naruto has given the word 'ninja' a completely different image. Not complaining, though, because some of them ninja are HOT.))**

 **((( _Like Gaara. Or Sasori. Or Kimimaro_. _Or-_ Darque shut up.)))**

 **If there are any other questions, please ask and we'll try to explain it as long as it's related to our bad explanation in the stories.**

* * *

 _ **Darque: Hello, my darlings.**_

 **Raven: Shouldn't it be 'our darlings'?**

 _ **Darque:**_ **Why?**

 **Raven: Uh, hello? There are two of us?**

 ** _Darque: Uh, what? Where? I only see an amazing person like me and her pet dog._**

 **Raven:...I am a guy, you know that, right? Hence you can't call me a bitch.**

 _ **Darque:...Friends aren't supposed to steal punchlines from one another.**_

 **Raven:...I thought I was a dog, not a friend =.=**

 **Read and Review~**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter THREE**_

"I think I need to go."

"I agree. The sun's completely up. You look like you're going to faint."

"Shut up."

"And you get cranky when you're mad."

"...Hn."

"I get it, only being able to stay up half the day is annoying, but it's a price we both agreed we were willing to pay."

"Don't need to remind me."

"Hey, I trusted you with the night; trust me with the day."

"I….I don't _not_ trust you."

"You are so not cute."

"I don't want _you_ to think I'm cute."

"Ah, riiiiiiight."

"Stop that!"

"Go rest."

"Wake me if anything happens."

"Right."

"Wake me if she wakes up."

"Uhhhh, maybe."

"I swear-"

"Okay! I'll see."

"Hn. Don't slack off."

"Yeah, leave it to me."

* * *

Uchiha Itachi had been out of the Land of Fire when Kaguya had destroyed everything he had ever fought for. Nothing could have prepared him for the shock and utter horror of returning to see his home gone, obliterated under unseen powers at the whims of a Goddess. Many had died, but just as many had survived, and Itachi had a nagging feeling that Kaguya was toying with them. Most of the victims had been civilians who didn't have the advantage of being able to access their chakra to aid in their escape.

A small part of him wished that he had been here, and he had died alongside him beloved home, so he did not have to face everything that had come after.

"Itachi-kun?"

He looked up at the sound of his name and saw his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, leaning against the door. There was clear worry in her eyes and Itachi realized with a start that he had stopped mid-preparation. The spare clothes he had been about to pack was hovering halfway into his pouch as he had frozen in thought. He quickly finished the action and turned to his mother. "Yes?"

The woman carefully entered the room and gracefully sat down next to him. "How are you feeling?"

Itachi once again paused, this time while reaching for his weapon maintenance kit, and finally lowered his hand. "I am feeling fine," he said.

Mikoto hummed and gently ran her hand through his hair. Itachi let her and patiently waited for her to finish her affectionate gesture. "You are going to the Forest of Death," she finally said.

"I am," Itachi replied.

Mikoto sighed. "Must it be you?" She asked. "There are plenty of others who could go in your place-"

"Okaa-sama," Itachi said, gently cutting her off. "I am honored Hokage-sama has deemed me worthy of leading a party tasked with finding a possible path to survival for the whole of mankind." He smiled and pretended not to notice the way his mother's eyes watered in defeat, as though she had known what his reply would be. She probably did. "If there is something, _anything_ we can do for the future, I would like to be a part of it."

"Of course, Itachi-kun," Mikoto said, smiling in return. "I know you can do it."

His mother left soon after, insisting on preparing food he could bring for himself and his team. They would be hunting for most of the trip, but having something homemade was always nice. Itachi quickly finished packing and soon joined his family in what might be his last dinner with them. There was a certain air of awkwardness as they ate, but by the end of it both his parents were beaming at him, and just before he was about to retire for the night, Fugaku stopped him.

"No matter what," he began softly. "Never _ever_ forget that we are so proud of you, son."

Itachi found himself looking down at his feet and finally managed a faint nod. "Good night, Otou-sama, Okaa-sama," he said, and when he obviously ran to his room, no one called out after him.

* * *

Early the next morning, a rather large group of people came to see them off and many more hovered around the exit of the war camp to watch.

As the Hokage once again shared words of encouragement with them, Itachi thought over the members of this party. Nara Shikamaru was the renowned son of Shikaku, who was the best strategist Itachi had ever known. The son may have inherited the infamous Nara laziness, but that hadn't taken anything away from the intellect the clan was famous for, and he also knew the boy had mastered the shadow manipulation techniques passed down within his clan.

Inuzuka Kiba was acknowledged as one of the best trackers even within the Inuzuka, a clan that had honed their chakra in order to communicate with their canine partners, and while he seemed to take after his mother in terms of loudness and brashness, the boy had proved himself over and over during tracking parties outside their base.

Hyuga Neji was often put onto the same pedestal as Itachi himself, and he had even heard rumors of how the Hyuga planned to instate Neji as the next clan head. Neji was the one out of the rest that Itachi had taken the most missions with, and he knew for a fact that the Hyuga was well deserving of the title of prodigy.

Akasuna no Sasori was someone Itachi might consider a friend on a particularly nice day. The man had something about him that annoyed Itachi to no end, but the redhead was the closest definition to the phrase 'do not judge a book by its cover', for, despite his lazy appearance, he was one of the most powerful, most deadly warriors ever. Itachi had been present when Sasori had lost both his arms in a reconnaissance mission gone disastrously wrong three years ago. The redhead had sacrificed himself to ensure they all got out alive. Soon after, the man had used his expertise in puppetry to make himself wooden arms to replace his limbs. He had then slowly added new gadgets and tools to them, and he always had new functions to show off whenever they spared. He had the world's most useful set or arms, ever.

Deidara was another person Itachi might consider his friend. The two of them, along with Sasori, were a part of an elite group of warriors made up of people from all over the Elemental Nations, known as the Akatsuki. Even recently, the Akatsuki were called upon when a particularly dangerous group of Zetsus appeared too near their base for comfort. That alone spoke of the blond's skills, and he was someone Itachi would like to have on his side as opposed to an enemy, though he was often very loud could sometimes be annoying. Deidara's self-proclaimed hobby seemed to be annoying Sasori, which Itachi was okay with as long as the redhead did not turn to him for help.

His thoughts were cut short when applause met Tsunade's ending speech. Itachi formally bid his parents, then the rest of the clan, goodbye and waited while the rest of his team did the same in a slightly more affectionate manner. Shikamaru received a few words from his father and a tight hug from his mother before his friends dragged to aside to say their own goodbyes and good lucks. Kiba and his family were slightly louder, though Itachi was not surprised considering the nature of his clan. He then shared a few more friendly hugs with his own friends. The Hyuga were much more composed, much like his own clan, and Neji was the first to reach his side.

Sasori and Deidara both briefly talked to their own Kage, before they too fell into step beside him.

"Shall we depart?" Itachi asked, and when he received firm nods in return, the six of them exited the base.

* * *

Gaara watched the search party depart and remained rooted to his spot even when the people gathered slowly began to disperse back to their tasks. When not out of the field, warriors spent the time resting, helping out around the base and tending to their weapons and equipment. Civilians aided as much as they could too, and there was even a civilian faction being trained by warriors to fight so that they could at least defend themselves should their one and only stronghold fall. It hadn't come to that yet, but many were willing to learn to prepare for the worst.

"Gaara?"

He turned towards his sister, who was looking at him with worry in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "You look a little out of it."

Gaara took a deep breath to clear his thoughts and nodded. "I am fine," he said. "I will be retiring for the night. If anything happens, you know where to find me."

Temari nodded. "Rest well," she told him. "I know you haven't been sleeping well for a while."

Gaara smiled to himself as his sister walked off; it appeared there was no hiding anything from her sharp eyes. He retreated to his personal tent and went around trying to clean himself up. Finally, he gave up. The war had taken a toll on all of them and he wasn't an exception. Instead sat down on his bed and reached for a book he had dug out of his own collection of books and scrolls.

 _The Deity of Spring._

His hand hovered over the cover like it had many times during the past two days, and he finally turned to the first page. He flicked through the book Temari had often read to him as a child and words flowed through his mind as memories began to resurface. Kaguya was the Goddess of Creation, but it was the Deity of Spring who had been the one to breathe life into them. There were many variations of how the story had gone, but in this particular one, the one where Kaguya had been sealed by the other Gods and Goddesses after a destructive war for suddenly turning against mankind, the Deity of Spring had been one of Kaguya's victims before she had been contained.

As he read, something became apparent to him, something he hadn't realized or understood as a child. "The Deity of Spring did not remain on this plane by choice," he whispered to himself. "Whatever happened, whatever Kaguya did rendered them unable to return to the Realm of the Gods."

* * *

"Where is she?"

"Good evening to you too."

"You said you would wake me when she woke up."

"I said maybe. Besides, we all need you well rested, you know? Can't have you fainting halfway during your watch because you didn't rest properly. Also, she just woke up a while ago. She's washing up."

"You-"

"Shhhhh! You know she doesn't like it when we fight!"

"We aren't 'fighting'. I'm merely attempting to correct your stupidity."

"Do you think that excuse would work on her?"

"I...guess not."

"Exactly."

"Hn. So, how was she?"

"She looked fine, and she smelled fine too."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"And did she say anything else about the war?"

"She didn't."

"But they're still coming."

"Yeah."

* * *

 **Update, friends!**

 _ **Darque: This is**_ **exciting!**

 **Raven: Uh huh. Proper planning feels nice.**

 _ **Darque: Yeah, no need to worry about plot holes and stuff. I freak when I find one halfway through a story.**_

 **Raven: See? You should plan more, even in real life.**

 _ **Darque: Don't bring real life into this D:**_

 **Raven:...Uh...right.**

 **Read and Review~**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter FOUR**_

"They will be here soon."

"...Who?"

"The humans. The humans of war."

"There is nothing to worry about; I doubt they will last long enough to step through past the first-"

"No."

"-layer of traps-wait, what?"

"No. These humans of war, they will come here. They will succeed where others have failed, and they will come here."

"Hn. Even if they do, we'll take care of them."

"...It is the fates that will lead them here, to the core of this forest. Nothing can stop them."

"Is that a thought? Or is it a vision?"

"It is the truth."

* * *

Sasori found he rather enjoyed the silence, as awkward as it was, that surrounded them as they traveled. He knew everyone by name, but apart from Itachi and Deidara, he had never had any personal interactions with the rest of the warriors from the Land of Fire.

Fortunately, the Forest of Death lay in the opposite direction from where Kaguya was approaching, and Itachi had decided that while they would travel the first part of their journey by foot, they could all move onto Deidara's clay birds once they were far enough that there should not be any risk of being aimed at from down below. Sasori felt that Neji would be able to keep an eye out for them with his Byakugan, but it was a smart choice to not waste any unnecessary chakra.

After all, he was sure everyone here knew that the difficulties would really start once they arrived at the forest.

They traveled at a relatively rapid pace, the high skill of the members on the party allowing them to do so, and soon the barren lands of where the current alliance camp lay changed to grassland and trees. They briefly rested while Deidara summoned a huge clay bird and they hopped onto it to continue their journey.

Finally, uninterrupted by their constant movement, Itachi gathered the team around him. Sasori sat down next to the Uchiha and turned to him when he began to talk. "I believe getting through the forest will be more taxing than the journey towards it," he began. "We have maps of the territory around it, but close to no records of anything beyond the trees."

"It's been established that there is nothing in the atmosphere around the forest," Sasori piped in. When parties had first gone missing, poisonous gas had been a possibility. The warriors had all been relatively skilled, and potential enemies hadn't been an immediate prospect.

"But there's something in there," Kiba said. "Something that is skilled and dangerous enough to eliminate parties of skilled warriors without leaving a single trace visible from the outside, and not letting a single person escape."

"Traps need to be reset once triggered and aren't omnipotent," Shikamaru added. "There has to be someone or something in there that makes sure anyone smart enough to get past any possible traps is properly eliminated."

Deidara shuddered. "Sounds dangerous, un," he said. "It'll be kinda sad if we went to the Forest of Death looking for help, only to be killed by whatever's in there."

"It is ironic in itself that we are seeking a way to live from the Forest of Death," Sasori said.

"Either way, we die," Neji pointed out, with a curt nod his way. "It is better to bet on the only possible outcome where we do not." Sasori realized that the Hyuga's words sounded like what he had said at the meeting yesterday and wondered if the words he had blurted out to convince people to make a decision already because he was getting tired actually managed to steer people towards this hunt.

Deidara seemed to consider Neji's words before he nodded. "That's true."

Sasori leaned back to lay down on the bird as the air of seriousness faded a little. Only years ago, he would have been sharing threats instead of plans with the people around him.

Then again, if a rampaging Goddess did not unite mankind, he doubted anything could.

* * *

Deidara had never owned a pet before but if he ever got around to getting one, he thought, he would get a dog. If all dogs were like the white furball the Inuzuka had brought along with him, he would be pretty happy. He turned to Kiba, who was watching him carefully. "What's his name?" He asked. "Can I pet him?"

The Inuzuka looked surprised but nodded. "His name's Akamaru," he said. "And sure, go ahead."

Deidara grinned and ran his hand through the dog's white fur.

"Careful," Sasori drawled. "Deidara blows up things he likes; if you don't keep an eye on him, boom and your dog's gone."

Kiba looked alarmed at that and Deidara whipped around to glare at the redhead, who was now using his arms as a pillow as he lay on his back. "Shut up, un! I'd never blow him up."

Sasori did not even open his eyes, but Deidara could have sworn he had rolled his eyes.

"Sasori," Itachi said, a hint of warning in his tone, and Deidara turned to the Uchiha in surprise. The older male turned to Kiba. "Inuzuka-san, I am sure Deidara is not _that_ immature," he added.

"Fuck you both, un!" Deidara snarled and turned back to Akamaru, whose tongue was now hanging out of his mouth. "Assholes," he muttered.

Truth be told, Deidara kind of knew both Sasori and Itachi mocked him simply because he reacted the way he did, and he also knew they knew he knew, but no one said anything. Back when the Akatsuki had first been put together, Deidara hadn't gotten along with either of them, and he had been especially annoyed when Sasori had been assigned as his partner.

However, things had changed three years ago, when they had been ambushed by an unexpected number of Zetsus. Back then had still been the brief period of time where Zetsus had been nothing more than mindless blobs, so the ferocity and sudden coordination they attacked them with had been completely unexpected and had caught them off guard.

Now that Deidara thought back to it, they had probably been overconfident in their abilities. Then again, none of them had known that their enemy was a Goddess.

Regardless, he had been injured, and their temporary party composed of Sasori and himself, then Itachi and his partner, a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist of the Land of Water known as Kisame, had managed to escape into a cave. The security was temporary, though, and the only reason the Zetsus hadn't come flooding through had been because still, the Zetsus back then were nowhere near as effective as the ones now. They had slowly evolved over time, and while before, any warrior with decent training could take on a handful of them at once, now they had evolved to the point even the most skilled warriors might have trouble taking on more than one at once.

Deidara could still mold his clay but he could not move, and Sasori had watched him with his abilities enough time to be able to replicate the explosions. The redhead had offered to hold them off while the rest of them ran to get help, and had stated that if he worked it outright, he could incorporate his own puppet based techniques with the explosives to bury the Zetsus under the rocks.

Somehow, the redhead managed to keep the Zetsus off of the rest of them while Kisame and Itachi helped him escape, but then they returned, it was to one of the most horrifying things they had ever seen.

Sasori sat against a nearby rock, leaning heavily on it as blood pooled on the earth around them. He was still conscious, though, and he opened his eyes when they quickly approached. "I guess I didn't work it out as well as I thought," he had said and had looked down at the price he had paid for it.

Deidara himself had been confined to the hospital tent, and by the time he was deemed okay to go hunt down the redhead, Sasori had completed the construction of his wooden limbs and had then proceeded to _trash_ him during a warmup spar. His partner's arms could suddenly withstand brunt force and attacks from weapons, projectiles, and even jutsu. They had small compartments that shot out projectiles and smoke screens and even poison gas, he had told him afterward.

Neither of them ever brought up that particular experience again, though Deidara was reminded of it whenever the redhead shed his cloak to fight, and he was sure his partner remembered too.

* * *

Sasori found himself dozing off, and was harshly brought out of that state when the clay bird jerked suddenly and the balance his head had been maintaining on his arms was lost. The back of his head made hard contact with a joint in his arm and he hissed in a pain before quickly sitting up. Rubbing at the spot, he inspected his arm, just in case something had been shaken loose. He shifted his fingers one at a time and noted with satisfaction that they were perfectly fine.

Channeling chakra through the wood had made them as durable as metal, and Sasori was not afraid to block weapon attacks with them, but there were times when he worried even the most mundane of things could affect their function.

He wriggled his fingers around a little more and decided that they still had time for a little maintenance. He fished out his kit from his pouch worked through each of the joints carefully. If there was anything that required him to diligently prepare for before attempting, he was sure a venture into the Forest of Death was one.

He felt Deidara settle beside him and hold up the cloth he had been about to reach for. Sasori did not look up but accepted it with a small nod.

Foolish brats and their sentimental ways.

* * *

Sasori did not thank him when he finished his mini check, but Deidara received a nod from the redhead before he lay back down. He merely rolled his eyes as Sasori fell asleep in mere minutes and he looked up just in time to see Itachi shake his head in exasperation.

His birds were one of the most effective means of travel, and as long of the map Itachi was consulting was accurate they would arrive at the edge of the Forest of Death soon.

Satisfied at their progress but bored with the wait, he settled himself next to his sleeping partner and pulled out a slab of clay. He had just finished the details on his miniature bird's left wing when he was brought out of his thoughts by Itachi, who shifted ever so slightly from his meditation position. "Hyugan-san, could you activate your Byakugan?" He requested quietly. "We are approaching our destination and frankly, this is where it gets dangerous."

Neji nodded and did as asked. Deidara watched with fascination as the veins around the Hyuga's eyes prodded out.

Soon, something dark and murky appeared in the far distance. He narrowed his eyes, a question on the tip of his tongue, but someone beat him to it. Beside him, Sasori slowly sat up and let out a low hum.

"There," he said, confirming his thoughts. "That's the Forest of Death."

* * *

"They have arrived."

"They came at the worst possible time, huh? There are still a few more hours until sunset. Guess it's up to me."

"You are going to fight them?"

"Of course. We've been protecting you forever. You can count on us until the end of time, 'ttebayo!"

* * *

 **Update!**

 _ **Darque: Here, we look at a bit of the past. Well, Sasori and Deidara's history, anyways.**_

 **Raven: Darque has this timeline for this story and everything worked out. It'll probably much deeper and plot-oriented than some of our other stories.**

 _ **Darque: All my boys will have their own moment, so don't worry!**_

 **Read and Reivew~**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter FIVE**_

From the moment he had been conscious, Naruto knew he had one purpose in life. He hadn't known what exactly this purpose was, but he had always somehow known that the empty feeling within him was a calling towards it. He grew up in an isolated village located near the edge of Land of Fire, yearning for the day he could venture out into the world so that he could fill the void in his chest.

Back then, even though the fighting within the Land of Fire caused by small groups and factions vying for control had been ended by Senju Hashirama uniting the lands, many still suffered from the occasional attack lead by the surviving groups that had mostly been crushed by Hashirama and his men.

Still, his early life was not necessarily bad. Some, in fact, would even call it full of happiness. His parents had been nice and kind, and his fellow villagers all knew each other and were always willing to help. There had been times when food and other resources were a little scarce, but no one was truly unhappy. The tug in his chest grew every day, but he forced himself to ignore it because he would not leave behind his family and friends for a gut feeling.

Then one day, when he was eighteen, a huge earthquake hit his village. Everything was destroyed without a trace and he ended up being the only survivor. The empty feeling within him almost consumed him, and it felt as though the world was punishing him for ignoring it. Left without a choice and nothing left to live for, he had left the lands where his village had once been and listlessly followed the tug.

After days of travel, he found himself at the edge of a forest and almost as though welcoming him, the branches and parted and the sun had shone through the trees, lighting a path for him to follow.

What he found on the other side made him freeze.

There was a small house in the clearing, and in front of the door sat a raven-haired male who looked barely older than him. The teen was breathing heavily and Naruto could see the blood pooling around him. In one hand he gripped a crimson drenched sword and the other was clutching his stomach. He could see blood seeping through his fingers.

A little away lay a long-haired man who looked slightly older. He could see the faint rise and fall of this chest but judging from all his injuries, Naruto knew the man would not make it.

Around the pair lay a countless number of men dressed in similar dark clothing. They were all dead and badly mutilated, and Naruto felt the sudden urge to throw up. The raven teen looked up as he stopped by the trees and his eyes narrowed dangerously. He clutched at the door behind him and slowly dragged himself to his feet. "Another, huh?" He muttered, and his eyes flashed.

Naruto opened his mouth to deny whatever the teen was accusing him of when a quiet voice made them both freeze.

"Sasuke?"

Naruto saw the door behind the teen opening, and it appeared he did too. The raven threw himself backward, slamming the door shut. "Do not come out," he hissed, eyes still fixed on Naruto. "Not until I tell you you can."

Naruto heard quiet footsteps falter before they vanished as the owner of the voice hurried away from the door. "I-"

"Are you here for her too?" The teen snarled. He raised his sword and remained standing despite how blood continued to flow from his wounds.

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"Do not play dumb," the raven snapped. "Why else would you be here?"

Naruto then watched in fascination as something like black smoke seemed to gather behind him, and soon began to take the form of wings. However, he then doubled over and spat out a mouthful of blood, and the smoke disapitated. He took a step forward in worry and the teen instantly had his sword pointed at him.

"Do not come any closer," he snarled. "Do not-"

A soft groan cut off whatever he had been about to say, and both teens turned towards the long-haired young man. "Sasuke, you've got it all wrong," he whispered, and for a moment, the raven looked torn between going to his side and continuing to hold his position of guard in front of the door, before he glared at him one more time and hurried over towards the dying man.

"He's here for me," the man whispered. "Just like you came for Madara years ago."

The raven, Sasuke, froze before slowly looking up and giving Naruto a once over. "So he is…."

The man nodded, then slowly raised a hand and made a 'come here' gesture in his direction. Naruto hesitated but the pull in his chest seemed to intensify, and he slowly made his way towards his side. The man reached out towards him and Naruto warily took his hand.

Instantly he felt a rush, and suddenly he felt _alive_. He instinctively tried to pull back his hand but the man kept a tight grip on it, not allowing him to. "You protect her," he whispered, pleadingly. "You look after her, and keep her safe."

Before Naruto could ask what was going on, the man turned to dust before his very eyes. He breathed in sharply and, for a second, it felt as though there was something in his throat and he couldn't breathe. Then the moment was gone and something warm appeared in his chest, and soon spread through his entire body.

"What-" Naruto choked out. "What is going on?" If this was how being alive truly felt, he could only describe life until this moment being half dead.

Sasuke slumped backward, breathing heavily. The door once again opened and this time, the raven did not complain. A head full of pink hair and green, green eyes peeked out from the house before the door was completely thrown open and a girl darted out. "Sasuke!" She cried. "Are you okay? Are you-" she cut herself as she caught sight of him and froze. "Hashirama?" She called out hesitantly, but Sasuke chose that moment to collapse forwards and the pinkette rushed to his side, Naruto forgotten for the moment.

"Sasuke?" The girl prodded, eyes wide. "Sasuke, are you _dying?_ "

The raven let out a weak scoff. "No," he said. "I...would not mind some help to bed though."

The girl instantly grabbed his arm, then dropped it when he let out a groan of pain. "Sorry-"

"Um," Naruto called, and the girl turned towards him, eyes wide. "I could help?"

The pinkette's eyes brightened and she nodded. "Yes please," she said softly.

Naruto carried over to Sasuke's side and this time, the raven did not complain. He grunted as he lifted the teen onto his back and turned to the girl, who was hovering beside him. "Where do I take him?" He asked.

The girl led the way into the house and up a set of stairs. "This room," she said, pushing the door open, and Naruto lay the now unconscious raven onto the neatly made bed. The pinkette gestured for him to step out. "That one is yours," she added, pointing to the door to the left.

Naruto froze. "What?"

"Hashirama usually cooked, but since he is gone I am afraid we will not be eating anything too grand for a while," the girl continued. "There is not much here, but it is not inconvenient. We grow things around the back and sometimes we have meat. There is a river close by and we can catch fish there."

"Wait, no, that's not what I meant," Naruto said, and the girl turned to face him. However, instead of answering his question, the girl simply smiled.

"What is your name?" She asked, and before he could stop himself, Naruto was answering.

"Naruto," he said.

The girl nodded. "My name is Sakura," she told him. "Welcome home, Naruto."

* * *

Sakura had then vanished into Sasuke's room for the rest of the day and when the raven stepped out with a sleeping pinkett in his arms just as the sun was setting, he looked as good as new.

The other teen nodded in greeting before entering another room. When he came back the girl was nowhere to be seen and Naruto watched as the raven took a seat at the table opposite him. "You must be wondering what is going on," he said, and Naruto slammed his fists the table.

"Damn right I am," he snapped.

Sasuke eyed the table, then the door to Sakura's room, then shrug. "That is expected," he said. "I was like that when I first came here."

"That-that man earlier?" Naruto said. "You guys said Hashirama. Hashirama, as in Senju Hashirama?"

It was only two years before he had been born when Senju Hashirama, the man that united the Land of Fire, had gone missing. Apparently, search parties from the capital had come even to his village looking for any signs of the Hokage. It had been the first time most of the villagers had ever seen people from the capital, a place that lay too far for any of them to hope to ever visit, and so many remembered it well and the tale was often told to the children.

Sasuke nodded once, confirming it. "Where should I start?" He asked.

"The beginning would be nce," Naruto replied blankly.

Sasuke smirked. "Are you sure?" He asked. "Because this tale spans over course of thousands of years and we only have a little time until sundown." Still, he shifted so he was comfortable. "How much do you know about the story of the Creation of the World?"

* * *

While briefly, Sasuke told him a tale from Naruto's childhood. How, millennia ago, the Gods created the human world. How Kaguya had given them forms and Sakura had given them life. How Kaguya had years later turned against her own creations and how Sakura, and the rest of the Gods, had stood up to her. How the Gods finally managed to seal Kaguya after a huge war and how they decided that they needed to leave the world in order to allow mankind to live for themselves. How, as a result of the war, Sakura had become unable to return to the realm of the gods and how she decided to remain here to watch over mankind. How Kaguya's two sons had been ridden with guilt for their mother's actions and how they decided to stay with Sakura to take care of her and protect her. How they retreated to the Forest of Death to stay out human attention and how they had passed this role to their descendants...

"Hang on" Naruto said, eyes wide. "Are you saying I'm a descendant of _Kaguya?_ " He asked.

Sasuke nodded. "We all are, in a way, because the Otsutsuki, the first humans, were once Gods, and a part of them are still with us. Still, we are _direct_ descendants, somehow," he explained. "When the replacement Guardian is born, the current Guardian begins to lose their powers. Then, when the two meet and make contact, the last of the Guardian's powers are passed from the predecessor to the next Guardian."

Thoughts ran through Naruto's mind, threatening to overwhelm him. "So what? Naruto asked. "That Hashirama guy looked like he was twenty, maybe twenty-five. Am I going to die in less than ten years? Because some other kid who's going to replace me is born?"

"Believe it or not, Hashirama was forty-six," Sasuke said, then raised a hand when Naruto opened his mouth to deny it. "Really. He left Konoha more than twenty years ago, it makes sense. He was twenty-six when he became a Guardian. Once you take up the role, you do not age, and you cannot die unless you fall in battle."

"Wait, so-" Naruto tried to put his words together. "So Hashirama didn't die because I touched him?"

"No," Sasuke replied. "He _was_ dying, but he couldn't truly die until he passed his powers onto you."

"But-but-how?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Sakura is a Goddess," he reminded him softly. "Everything is so that she always has two Guardians with her. It could be fate, it could be destiny, it could even be some unknown Deity of luck. Whatever it is, everything happens so that when one Guardian falls, the next is already there."

Naruto thought of this reason he had left his village. "My home was destroyed in an earthquake," he whispered, rage slowly filling him. "Did the _Gods_ cause it so that I arrived here at the perfect time? Did _Sakura_ have it so that I would be here to look after her after her previous servant died?" He got to his feet, knocking back his chair as he did so, and he felt a sudden, unknown feeling deep within him.

Sasuke followed suit, his onyx eyes now a bright red with black markings in them. The black smoke was back and Naruto watched, momentarily forgetting his anger, as huge, black wings sprouted from the raven's back. They threateningly fanned out behind him and Naruto felt _something_ within him roaring in response.

"Do you think _any of us_ asked for this?" Sasuke snarled. "Do you think Hashirama wanted to leave the nation he fought so hard to pull together? Or that any of our predecessors asked for the lives they were forced to live, that _I asked to be born the way I did?"_

Naruto heard shuffling, and Sakura slowly stepped out of her room. "Sasuke?" She called, and the raven seemed to calm down a little.

He raised his hands in her direction and the pinkette hurried over to his side, burying her face into his feathers. "Sorry," he said. "Did I wake you?"

Sakura slowly shook her head, then turned towards Naruto. "Are you angry?" She asked softly. "You must be, and I am sorry about that."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Sasuke quickly said. "Go back to sleep, okay? You have yet to fully recover."

Sakura sadly glanced up at him, before she ran her fingers gently over his wings. The feathers shivered in reaction to her touch and she nodded. "Okay."

The two of them waited for the pinkette to leave the room before they sat down again. There was a certain tenseness in the air, but Naruto found himself unwilling to wake the Goddess again. He bitterly wondered if his status as her guardian was forcing him to feel things.

"No one asked for this," Sasuke said after a while. "Not even her."

"She seems pretty fine to me," Naruto muttered. "Even when you and Hashirama were fighting. You were half dead and Hashirama died. She looks perfectly clean."

"Sakura is no longer the Goddess she once was. During the war, she gave a part of herself to stop Kaguya. That is why she could not return to the Realm of the Gods with the others."

"And who were those people in black?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I do not know," he said. "There are always people after her. Look hard enough and no matter how well the Gods hide, humans can find them. Sakura cannot protect herself; that is why we are here."

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "So, how old are you?" He asked, changing the subject; he needed time to think.

Fortunately, Sasuke seemed to understand and he went along with it. "Twenty one," he said. "Though I was eighteen when I took up the role."

"Where did you come from?"

Sasuke's eyes darkened at that, and Naruto decided not to press. "And-and your wings?" He asked. "I've got to say, those were pretty cool."

The raven smirked. "Guardians are passed down power that once belonged to Hagoromo and Hamura," he explained, "though these powers tend to manifest within every individual in a different way."

"Do you know what mine is?" Naruto asked, glancing down at himself. Nothing seemed to be different, but Sasuke had looked normal until he had sprouted wings, so he guessed it wasn't an obvious change.

Sasuke shrugged again. "You will have plenty of time to find out."

Naruto glanced down at his hands again. His village was gone, and the only people he had ever known had died with it. He had nowhere to go, and nothing to do. "I….guess." He closed his eyes. "Though first thing first, we're going to have to do something about your stiff way of speaking."

Sasuke's eyes flashed dangerously at this. "I will never allow myself to talk in an unsophisticated manner like you."

"Did you just call me unsofisti-you Teme!"

"You are loud, Usuratonkachi!"

* * *

Suddenly, the trees outside seemed to go quiet and Naruto was dragged out of his memories. He could feel the faintest vibrations of footsteps treading carefully through the woods.

These humans had actually managed to navigate through the forest, where everything that existed within the trees were engineered to kill outsiders. He had to admit, he was a little impressed.

"They're here," Sakura said, and he nodded.

"I'll be stepping out for a while and I'll be right back," he said reassuringly. "Don't leave the house and if someone actually manages to get past me, wake up the Teme, okay? The sun might be up, but he'll be able to function for a little bit."

Sakura nodded slowly, eyes wide. "I would like to talk to them, Naruto," she said. "They coming here is inevitable."

Naruto felt something grip his chest. Everyone who had ever ventured into the forest looking for the Goddess always wanted something. They wanted to use her, hurt her, take advantage of her. No many had gotten as far as even catching a glimpse of her, however, and if he had anything to say about it, these 'humans of war' would not be getting anywhere near her either. Sakura had never spoken up for any of the trespassers, though, and he feared that their quiet days in the Forest of Death might just be coming to an end.

"I'll go ahead, then, and make sure they're not evil idiots, then," he told her gently, hoping against hope that Sasuke would be able to say no to her, to keep her here while they killed off the intruders.

Sakura nodded. "Be careful," she said.

Naruto grinned and called upon the power that lay deep within him. He felt a roar echo through his body and when he glanced down, his entire body was surrounded in an aura of bright orange fire. "I will."

* * *

 **Update!**

 _ **Darque: At first, I thought I'd make this Sasuke's backstory, but then there was SOMETHING that made me change it.**_

 **Raven: There was.**

 _ **Darque: Not spoiling here, but it will be explained next chapter.**_

 **Raven: It will.**

 _ **Darque: Also, there's a little twist, where Naruto loses his entire 'family' instead of Sasuke.**_

 **Raven: Yes.**

 _ **Darque: Next we will look at Sasuke.**_

 **Raven: We will.**

 _ **Darque: It is a lot more darker.**_

 **Raven: Indeed.**

 _ **Darque:...**_

 **Raven:...yes.**

 **Read and Review~**


	6. Chapter 6

**WARNING: Mentions of sexual abuse**

 ** _Chapter SIX_**

From the moment Sasuke had been conscious, he had been sitting in a cage. The first words he had learned had been 'pretty face', and for the first eighteen years of his life, said phrase hadn't been a compliment, but words of warning before someone did something horrible to him.

Metal restraints had been a part of his body and he was always a certain distance from a pillar or a pole or _something_ that kept him chained down and unable to escape. Not that it mattered much; by the time he had been old enough to consider such options the fight had been beaten out of him.

He hadn't been able to keep track of his age as a child. In fact, he hadn't even understood the whole concept of aging, but when he thought back to it, he was probably around six or seven when he had first been dragged from his usual job of wiping the floor and to a man he saw often in the establishment he belonged to. He hadn't been taught to speak and only knew bits and pieces from what he picked up when people thought he wasn't listening. He hadn't understood most of what anyone said to him but the next thing he knew, large, unforgiving hands were pushing him down onto the cold, hard floor, touching him in places he had never been touched before, and soon, he was screaming.

* * *

The windows around him were all tinted, and the best he could make out of the sky was the faint contrast between what he supposed was the blue and the white of the clouds through the grey glass. The establishment he was in itself was dimly lit at best and he only knew those around him by their voices.

The first time he saw the sky was also the day the warriors from the Land of Fire had bust into what he later learned was called a brothel. He could tell the person explaining this to him was just trying to be nice, though, because he had heard his customers use language he knew was much _much_ worse.

It didn't take long for anyone to figure out that neither he nor his fellow co-workers had anywhere to go, and they were all herded onto a carriage to be taken back to the Land of Fire.

"You're safe," they had said. "We won't hurt you anymore."

"There's nothing to worry about," another had told him. "We'll take care of you now."

Merely two hours later, cruel hands tore at his clothes and he once again found himself held down, screaming his throat raw.

* * *

Then, the next thing he knew, the limp body of the man who had been touching him collapsed onto him. Sasuke froze, unsure of what to do, when something warm and sticky began to seep through his clothes and pool around him. He was covered in blood that, for the first time in his life, did not belong to him.

Carefully, he shifted himself and shoved the man, who rolled off him without resistance. His eyes then landed on the large shard of glass jutting out of his neck and it was then when he realized with a start that the rest of the bottle was in his grasp. The sharp points of the broken end glistened a wet crimson in the candlelight.

Suddenly, he heard rapidly approaching footsteps outside the cabin and he scrambled away from the body, the half-dried blood weighing him down. There was a knock, and a second followed moments after before the door was thrown open. Sasuke pressed himself desperately against the wall on the other side of the room, the glass bottle raised defensively in front of him.

The person who entered was a young, grey-haired man, perhaps only a few years older than him. He took one look at the dead body of his superior, the state of his half-undress, the blood, and finally, Sasuke, and a look of horror passed over his face. "I thought it might-I-Oh gods." He took a step towards him and Sasuke raised his bottle higher, willing himself to stop shaking.

"No!" He said. "Do not come any closer!"

His neck throbbed painfully as he forced the words out and he briefly remembered the now dead man trying to suffocate him. Had that been before or after he had stabbed him? He couldn't even remember.

The man tried to placate him. He raised both his hands up to show he was unarmed, but to Sasuke, everything that had ever hurt him hadn't been weapons of any sort. He merely clutched his flimsy clothes to himself and tried to make himself even smaller.

The man shifted uncomfortably before he slowly took off his jacket. Sasuke flinched, but he smiled. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said firmly, then tossed him the jacket. Sasuke stared at it as it landed in a heap in front of him. "You must be cold, and your clothes are ruined. You can wear that."

Sasuke carefully reached out with one hand, the other still clutching onto the glass bottle, and wrapped the clothing around himself.

"I'm Hatake Sakumo," the man continued. "I-I'm sorry about what happened."

No one had ever apologized to him before, and Sasuke nodded stiffly, unsure of what else to do.

Sakumo looked just as uncomfortable, but later that night, Sasuke found himself sleeping in the man's tent. He allowed him to keep the jacket and sat himself down as far away from him as he could. He then gently pried the glass bottle from his stiff fingers and handed him a knife instead.

"You won't have to use it," he told him gently. "But it might make you feel better."

Later, Sasuke would think this was the actions of a man broken by war and battle, because how was a knife supposed to make him feel better? Still, he had appreciated the sentiment and he soon fell asleep, exhausted, with the handle of the blade in his grasp.

* * *

He was woken what seemed only hours later by Sakumo, who was nudging his shoulder. Sasuke's first instinct had been to pull away but Sakumo pressed a finger to his lips.

"Shh," he whispered. "They found the body, and are looking for you."

Sasuke flinched, but the man wasn't done.

"I'm afraid some of the men here are corrupt. They think that the ability to use chakra allows them to look down on everyone who doesn't," Sakumo slowly drew back and dumped a bag onto the bed. "I've filled this with four days worth of food and a spare change of clothes," he said. "There's a group of villages two days travel from here, just straight down south. It's a nice place; I've been there a few times. I'm sure you can find a job there." He then handed him a sword. "Take this too."

Sasuke stared at the weapon, then at the bag, then finally looked up. "Why are you doing this?" He demanded.

Sakumo shrugged. "I've been turning a blind to all this," he gestured towards him, then towards the door. "I guess it's my chance to do something right."

Sasuke allowed Sakumo to sneak him towards the gates of the warrior district, placing what little hope towards humanity and mankind as a whole he had left in his hands. The sound of the entrance opening alerted many but when he froze, the man nudged him.

"Go," he said. "Run, and keep running. Live for yourself from now on, okay?"

Then the gates were closing again, and Sasuke turned and ran.

Behind him, he heard shouting and even saw a couple of flashes of light from the corner of his eyes, but he did not look back.

Not even when he felt more lost than ever, because how was someone who didn't know himself supposed to fulfill Sakumo's words?

* * *

Sasuke did not reach the villages Sakumo talked about.

On the night following his escape, a single figure appeared in the distance. Sasuke's hand instantly went to the hilt of the sword Sakumo had given him, but he forced himself to stay calm.

For one, he had no idea how to use it. For another, there was no way someone so far out here would recognize him.

His heart dropped when the person turned out to be a man, despite his long black hair, and nearly stopped when he sharply raised his arm to stop him from continuing on his way just as they had been about to walk past each other.

He took a few steps backward, ready to draw the blade.

The man did not look scared in the very least and simply observed him. Sasuke kept deathly still as eyes trailed over his clothes, which were a few sizes too big, his pack, and his sword. Finally, dark onyx eyes met his equally dark orbs.

"My name is Madara," the man said. "And I am here to bring you home."

He saw red, and the world went black.

* * *

"...looks dead to me."

"Do not be stupid. Do you really think I will be that careless?"

"Hashirama, I assure you he is fine."

"I know, Sakura-chan, I'm just teasing."

 _Where was he?_

Sasuke's eyes fluttered open to quiet whispering and he quickly sat up, hands blindly looking for the knife, of the sword, or _anything_ he could use as a weapon.

"He looks angry."

"Really? He looks scared to me."

Sasuke froze and carefully lifted his gaze. He was sitting on a bed, probably the nicest one he'd ever slept on. At the foot of it was a chair and on it sat a long-haired ham. On his lap sat a petite, delicate looking pink haired girl and to their left stood the man he had met on the road.

"Hello," the seated man called. "How are you feeling?"

Sasuke grasped at the sheets underneath him and did not say anything.

The man did not seem offended and merely chuckled. "I would be angry, too, if some ugly dude kidnapped me," he said, looking up at the other man. He received a fist to the top of his head and he let out a pained whine. "Sakura-chan! Madara is bullying me!" He buried his face into the pinkett's hair and the pinkette frowned.

The girl looked barely his age, and she was sitting on the lap of someone who looked much older. _Was she….like him?_

The other man, Madara, scoffed and turned back to him. "What is your name, boy?" He asked.

Sasuke remained silent.

"He is scared," the girl declared. "And hurt." She hopped off the man's lap and hurried over towards him. Sasuke flinched backward but the girl did not relent. She reached out and, with surprisingly soft, delicate hands, touched his cheek.

Instantly, a burst of warmth filled him. Sasuke knew he should pull away, but he couldn't, and found himself leaning into her touch. The throbbing pain that had been there forever slowly seemed to ebb away.

"Is that better?" She asked.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open; he hadn't realized he had closed them, and quickly leaned away. The girl smiled. "Be at ease," she said. "No one here will hurt you. I am Sakura, and these are Madara and Hashirama."

Sasuke still did not utter a word, and Sakura simply continued to smile. Finally, she gestures toward Hashirama. "Prepare him something to eat," she said, and Sasuke instantly crossed out the possibility of her being like him; her words held a certain authority to them. "I doubt he has eaten very well, so nothing too heavy. And water, fetch him some water." Sasuke watched through curious eyes as Madara and Hashirama both straightened themselves and bowed, before shuffling out to presumably carry out the tasks she had ordered. Once they were gone, Sakura turned back towards him. "If you need anything, all you need to do is call, okay?"

Then she, too, left.

* * *

Once he was deemed better by the pinkette, Sasuke was allowed to wander around as he pleased. They requested he not leave the clearing the house was located in, but looking at the scary trees and the fog that seemed to barricade it from the open gardens, he did not particularly want to.

Food was brought to him three times a day, each meal containing more things that he had ever been given in a whole week, and the cup of water by his bedside was always refilled.

His sword was also returned to him, and it now sat beside his pillow.

Then, a few days later, he woke up to a scream which was cut off just as abruptly as it had begun. Sasuke shot up in his bed, hand instantly flying to his sword, and sat deathly still, trying to figure out what was going on. A while later, he heard a guttural groan and he realized with a jolt of fear that it belonged to Sakura.

Before he even knew it, his feet were moving towards the door. The days of rest and plenty of food had made him feel stronger than he had ever before and soon, he was standing right outside an open door. He could hear Sakura dry heaving.

"This is what happens if you are not careful," he heard Madara say.

Sakura let out a groan.

"How do you feel, Sakura-chan?" Hashirama asked.

There was more coughing. "I am fine," Sakura managed to say. "He-he is hurt. He is in pain. I am useless. This is the best I can-" she was once again coughing.

Images from his past flashed through his mind, and Sasuke just _knew_ the 'him' Sakura was talking about was him. Unable to stop himself, he shoved the door open. Instantly, three sets of eyes were on him and Sasuke tried to calm himself down, because _what was he doing?_

"What...are you doing?" He asked.

"Oh, it speaks," Madara said, then turned back to gently patting Sakura's back.

Hashirama nodded at the other man before he stood up. "Why don't you come with me?" He said softly. "I think it's time to tell you what exactly is going on."

Sasuke eyed the man warily before he turned back to Sakura, who was still crouched on the floor, shaking.

"Sasuke," he said, and she looked up. Her eyes were watery, but that only made her green pupils stand out all the more. "Sasuke," he repeated. "That is my name."

The girl shuddered as more coughs wracked her body. "Sasuke," she said.

He nodded. "If you need...anything, you can just call me." He then turned and followed Hashirama out the door.

* * *

Seated at the dining table, Hashirama told him the exact tale he would tell Naruto three years later. The man then explained how Sakura could take away the injuries of others by merely touching them, but that transferred their pain to her, who then felt it at random bursts and waves until it was all gone.

Sasuke agreed to stay, simply because he had nowhere else to go, and two days later, once Sakura was recovered, he killed Madara to take his place. The man had shaken his hand, eyes firm, and had made him promise to protect the Goddess before he had burst into black dust.

* * *

Hashirama often poked fun at him for the way he spoke, which he had taken up to distinguish himself from the disgusting men that had touched him as a child, and he slowly found himself picking up on the older man's more informal way of speaking, though he tried not to just to annoy him. It would finally begin to stick when Naruto nagged him about it too, years later.

Hashirama taught him to read and write, as well as the history of the lands they lived in. Sasuke absorbed all of this at a rate that seemed to surprise the man, who he later learned was _the_ Senju Hashirama. He was never pressed for his story, though, so Sasuke never asked for his. The man also taught him to fight, and soon, Sasuke was wielding lightning chakra, which he had an affinity for, as well as fire chakra, which apparently had been Madara's specialty; receiving his powers seemed to have made him more attuned to it.

Everything he learned made him feel more powerful, and that helped him deal with the nightmares that plagued him at night.

Sometimes, people managed to make their way through the deadly forest, and Sasuke fought them off alongside Hashirama. He relished in the power that rushed through him whenever an enemy dropped dead at his feet because now, he was the one that stood above the others.

However, nothing made him feel better than when Sakura rushed out of the house after it was safe and checked over the both of them, eyes wide with worry.

He would feel drunk with power whenever he took a life, and when that rush left he would feel sick, but then Sakura would smile at him and he could justify himself that it was all for her.

And it was.

* * *

Three years later, Hashirama died. Sasuke was instantly hit with the loss, but then the empty feeling was just as abruptly filled as Naruto met his gaze again.

Perhaps he was bound to his partner just as he was to Sakura.

He told Naruto their story, just like Hashirama had told it to him, seeing the Senju in the way the blond rubbed the back of his head or tapped his chin. He saw himself, too, but when the teen accepted the role without much resistance, he also realized that this was not really the case.

Naruto stayed because he was looking for a purpose, while he had stayed because he didn't have a purpose, and while it seemed like a subtle difference, Sasuke was sure those two different views were why he ended up the way he had.

Naruto, who was understanding and accepting, had lost his entire village, everyone he had ever known and cared for, so that his empty heart would see Sakura as someone who needed help, someone he could aid and protect. Everything had been set so that she would replace his lost purpose with a new one and the person the blond was allowed him to instantly get attached to her outside of duty.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had a feeling the fates had messed with him before he could even discover himself. They had broken him the moment he had been born, and that probably meant he had something, or would have had something, that would have gotten in the way of this path. If things had been different, perhaps he would have been selfish, or insane, or outright evil.

If, he wondered, the fates hadn't thrown him in Sakura's direction in the way it had, would he have accepted this role? He had a feeling that he wouldn't have, and sometimes, he thought he felt the person he might have been shoving at the edge of his conscience.

But the now that had come to be wasn't this alternative possibility, but one where he had been born a slave and had longed for the days he could simply fly away to freedom, and he had sworn to give his life to the figure who had given him the wings to do so.

That might not have been Sakura's intention when they had first met and it might not have exactly been the freedom he had been looking for, but for the him back then it had been enough, and it was a decision the him now did not regret one bit.

* * *

"Sasuke! Sasuke, wake up!"

Hands shook his shoulder, and when it came up to presumably pat his face, his own shot out to grasp it. "Sakura?"

His head rang, and when he glanced out the window, he saw why; the sun was only half set. The Guardians were, in ways, a whole when both of them were there. Naruto was day and he was night, and the position of the sun greatly limited their movements. Sakura herself did not seem to have an explanation for this, but just like Naruto could only function at his best during the day, he could do so only when the sun had set. That did not mean he was completely useless when the sun was up, but his whole body felt heavy for a while.

That was why, if Sakura was waking him up before it was dark, something must have happened. "Sakura? Where's Naruto?"

Sakura clutched at his hand, eyes wide. "People came," she said. "They are making their way here."

"Actually?" The Forest of Death, as its name suggested, was a death trap meant to keep others out. Sasuke knew that even the Land of Fire had attempted several times to explore, and he and Naruto had only had to personally kill off the survivors twice. The attempts had lessened over the years, and for Naruto to personally head out himself...

Sakura nodded. "He has been gone for a while."

He closed his eyes, reaching out with his chakra and, in the distance, Naruto's flared in response. Sasuke gently shook off the girl and grabbed his sword. He cursed his lagging body and glanced out the window again. It was getting dark, which meant Naruto would also be feeling the effects by now.

He hurried downstairs, towards the door. "I'll head out, don't leave-"

Sakura turned him around and planted her hands on his cheeks. "No, Sasuke," she said.

Sasuke froze. "What? Why?" He demanded, and Sakura smiled.

"Because I will be going with you," she said. "You have wings. Take me with you."

And Sasuke, no matter how much his mind told him that, no, this was a bad idea, found himself unable to deny her. He placed his sword into Sakura's hands, then swept her up into his arms. "Hold on," he said. "Don't let go." Black wings burst from his back, and with them came the familiar feeling of raw power coursing through his veins. He spread them and gave them an experimental flap before he took off.

* * *

 **Update~**

 ** _Darque: So, we're trying out something we've never really touched on before._**

 **Raven: We started off knowing that in this fic, 'fate' is cruel. The entire system is so that Guardians and future Guardians are forced into servitude, and they are forced to accept, no matter how said Guardians give their own reasons. It plays on character weakness and strengths, and when these aspects are too extreme to mold into a role of remaining with Sakura, they make things happen so that said aspect is shaved off.**

 ** _Darque: Sasuke is headstrong, independent, and confident, and if he had remained that way when he first met Sakura, he would not accept it. I just couldn't find a way for Sasuke to somehow come to accept the fact that he had to essentially play babysitter for this lady, Goddess or not._**

 **Raven: The whole idea of slavery here was to break down Sasuke's character from the very start, but then came the question of how serious do we take this story? Sasuke is very pretty, and bad things happen to pretty people, especially those who were considered to be objects more than humans.**

 ** _Darque: I decided to go all the way, and we're just shoving off reasons why here because I'm kind of worried I messed up the whole thing...so, yeah._**

 **Read and Review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Chapter SEVEN_**

Neji had known their venture into the trees would not be easy, had been prepared for it, so as they navigated past the almost childishly silly traps he knew something was wrong.

After all, not matter how dangerously accurate, a paintball would not be taking down anyone confident enough in their skills to explore the Forest of Death despite its rumors.

Still, _something_ had stopped people from leaving once they had entered the woods, and it was almost somewhat of a relief when he spotted a chakra mechanism a little distance away that looked much more complex than the ones before. Then, before his very eyes, the chakra seemed to grow and expand, and the tree it had been within began growing at alarming rates.

"Tree!" He called, catching the attention of his teammates. "Headed this way!"

On hindsight, that was not the clearest or best warning he could have come up with, but apart from a weirded out look he received from Kiba and Deidara, they all reacted accordingly, all of them trusting in his Byakugan to see things they could not.

Besides, it was not as though he was incorrect, for merely seconds later what could only be described to be a branch, albeit a rather big one, snaked towards them through the trees. They sped up their run, and it followed.

"Forward or back?" Deidara shouted. The blond was busy digging through his pouch.

"Forward," Itachi said without hesitation. "We cannot return empty-handed."

There was a hint of desperation in the Uchiha's tone and Neji understood the older teen. He took this as a cue to recheck their position, and he pointed in the direction that was the center of the forest. The tree was still reaching out towards them, but he could see the chakra pool within its roots slowly fading.

"If we get far enough, it should run out of chakra and stop chasing us," he said.

"The tree is using chakra to grow itself?" Shikamaru asked.

Neji nodded. "It is, but its storage is fading even as we speak."

Sure enough, the branches soon stopped growing. Its hand like tips seemed to curl and grasp at them but they did not extend any further. Everyone stopped on a tree a little distance away to catch their breath. "I can see several other suspicious pools of chakra littering the area between us and the center of the forest," Neji reported. "I believe it is safe to assume that the traps at the beginning were merely something to make us lower our guard." Something began tickling the edge of his vision, and he turned his attention towards it.

An enormous chakra signature was rapidly moving in their direction, he realized. His current chakra vision was limited in focus due to him trying to take in a larger area, but even with his thinned out senses, it was hard to miss.

"Someone is coming this way," he said softly, but he knew everyone had heard when they all went silent. He pointed into the trees. "Rapidly approaching from that direction."

It was still a distance away, but with the speeds it was moving at and the sheer amount of it, it would not be long before his teammates could sense it.

On cue, Kiba whistled. "Is that... _human_?"

"Maybe that's the reason people never return," Sasori said.

"Probably," Deidara greed.

"Do you think that's the Deity?" Kiba asked.

Itachi slowly stood up. "There is one way to find out."

The chakra stopped suddenly but made no signs of retreating. Neji scanned over it again.

"I believe it knows we are here, and is waiting for us," he said. "There is a small clearing ahead of us, and if we hope to avoid more traps like the tree, we have no choice but to walk right into it."

Everyone turned to Itachi, who nodded once. "We will avoid combat unless absolutely necessary," he said. "Let us go see what it wants."

* * *

Kiba did not know what he had been expecting, but from the sheer magnitude of chakra and the almost angry way it seemed to lash out, he had expected a beast of sorts.

The male teen standing before them, however, did not match any of the images in his head, even if he _was_ on fire.

The chakra clearly belonged to him, and as though acknowledging his thought it flared.

"Who're you?" The blond called. He had whisker-like marks on his cheeks and eyes as blue as the afternoon sky. Kiba could clearly see the flames reflected in his pupils.

"We are of the Elemental Alliance," Itachi said. "We come in peace."

The blond scoffed and crossed his arms. "Humans _never_ come here looking for _peace_ ," he said.

"Humans?" Sasori asked. "Are you the Deity of Spring?"

The blond narrowed his eyes and his chakra flares once again. "What do you want?"

"Kaguya is set on destroying mankind," Itachi explained. "We are-"

The blond burst out laughing. "Oh! That is the best thing I've heard in a while!"

Itachi narrowed his eyes, but none of them moved as the blond took a few shuddering breaths in between dying chuckles. Then, abruptly, it stopped and the blond glared at them with wide, dilated eyes. "That _bitch_ and you humans can kill each other off for all I care," he snapped. "Keep your problems to yourselves."

Kiba could not help his outburst, but even as the words escaped his mouth, he knew that this blond, whoever he was, was pissing him off. "Kaguya is a Goddess, just like the Deity of Spring! It wasn't mankind's problem until she attacked us first!"

The blonde slowly turned to look at him. "You don't know how much she suffered to give you the lives you currently lead," he said quietly. "She has given enough of herself to those who knowing nothing but to take and take and _take,_ and as long as I'm here, no one's going to take any more from her."

That was all the warning they received before he attacked.

* * *

Shikamaru had known nothing about this mission would be easy, but as a single teen held off five of the best of the Elemental alliance, the fact that they are seeking aid from a Deity, a Goddess from what the teen had said, hit him hard.

The blond before them wielded chakra in a way that he had never seen before. The flames were a manifestation of how _hot_ his chakra was by nature, and the sheer amount of it he had allowed him to simply throw it around.

"Please," Itachi called. "We need your help!"

"Too bad you aren't getting it!" The blond raised his hand, a ball of spinning chakra appearing in his hand. He hurled it towards Sasori, who managed to get out of the way. Shikamaru saw the huge crater it left behind and shuddered at the thought of being hit by one of those. He streaked around the side and sent his shadows towards their opponent, who jumped away, easily knocking aside Kiba and Akamaru in the process. "You run things as you please" he seethed, "and the moment it all crashes to the ground you look for someone to clean up the mess for you."

His teammates had been chosen for this mission for a reason, and between the five of them, they managed to keep the teen distracted enough that the could not narrow his aim to one person. Long range attacks were thrown at the blond, for no one knew if the flames could actually burn and no one wanted to find out by risking a close combat fight. Still, they were only running away at this point, a Shikamaru was slowly beginning to feel the effects of long periods of hard battle.

He was also becoming aware of the setting sun. Without the light, his shadows would become much harder to use, not that they were doing much to begin with. With all the trees around, it would be risky for Itachi to use his fire techniques, and while they had the Sharingan and the Byakugan with them, they had no idea what their opponent's fighting prowess was in the dark.

However, he also noticed how their opponent seemed aware of the sun's position as well. His attacks became harsher and more powerful as the sun dipped closer and closer towards the boundary line and the moment it hit, he froze.

Deidara instantly moved in from above but Itachi stopped him with a harsh hand gesture. The Iwa warrior jerked back his attack and all six of them paused on tree branches, breathing heavily and waiting to see what the blond would do.

"Are you-"

Whatever Itachi had been about to say was cut off as the blond let out a terrifying roar that seemed to resonate from deep within him, but he made no more moves to attack. Flickering chakra flared to life in his hand but Shikamaru could _see_ it wavering. The blond lashed out with his chakra alone, and he left the tree he was perched on shake, but it suddenly lacked the sheer force and weight it had previously carried. He heard the blond curse and watched him get shakily to his feet. He was suddenly breathing heavily, and he swayed as he straightened himself.

"How unfortunate," he muttered. "I don't get to finish you off _and_ you get the Teme coming after your sorry asses." He staggered backward and sat down heavily with his back against a tree, as though his knees had given way. "Sucks to be you, 'ttebayo."

Shikamaru warily eyed the blond, but he made no further signs of standing up. In fact, he seemed to slump against the trunk of the tree and watched them almost lazily with half-lidded eyes. He was just about to ask for their next course of action when he saw Neji's head jerk upwards. "There is something _above us_ -"

Something fell from the sky and landed between them and the blond. The ground seemed to shake when whatever it was hit the ground and the tremor caused dust and small bits of cracked to earth to rise into the sky. Shikamaru raised an arm to his face and when he lowered it, it was just in time to see magnificent black wings neatly fold themselves on the back of the raven-haired newcomer.

* * *

Itachi watched, the tenseness in his limbs not wavering for even a moment, as the raven-haired male turned towards the blond with a blank look in his eyes. "Pathetic," he muttered.

The blond scowl. "Jee, thanks."

The raven scoffed, then gently lowered the bundle in his arms. Black feathers moved aside to reveal bright pink hair, and a delicate looking girl dressed in white landed neatly on her feet. She glanced towards them for a split second before she turned towards the blond and crouched down beside him.

"Naruto," she murmured and placed a hand on his cheek.

The blond momentarily jerked back but relented when the girl calmly waited. "Sakura-chan," he murmured as he leaned into her touch. "What are you doing here? It's not safe."

"I have both of you with me," the girl said firmly. "I have nothing to fear."

The blond grinned at that and there was a proud smirk on the raven's face.

The pinkette slowly drew back, then turned to look at them. The raven moved to stand beside her, and a threatening hand was placed on the sword at his hip, undrawn just yet but ready to be drawn in any moment. The girl first eyed Akamaru and Itachi saw the dog slowly sit as green orbs scanned over him. Finally, she met his gaze.

"Hello."

The girl's voice was soft and gentle, and barely more than a whisper, but Itachi picked it up as though the wind itself had carried it to him. He carefully hopped down from his branch and when neither the pinkette nor the raven moved in a threatening manner, he pocketed his weapons. "Hello," he replied, just as quietly.

That brought a small smile onto the girl's face and she took a small step towards him. Instantly, the raven had a hand in front of her to stop her, and Itachi felt his own teammates tense, ready to jump down to fight. They didn't, however, and waited tensely for his order. He carefully observed the girl and watched her raise a small hand. The raven stiffened but he lowered his own without further protest.

This girl, whoever she was, was not a nobody. The blond was a powerhouse; if they had come here with members even a little less skilled, Itachi did not doubt for a second that they would all have been killed. The blond looked like he could have continued fighting too and if the dizzy spell, or whatever it had been, hadn't hit he was sure they would all have been picked off sooner or later. He could tell the raven was just as powerful, and this pink haired girl appeared to command them, or in the least, the two males appeared to follow her.

The girl kept going until she was standing just a few steps away from him. "What is your name?" She asked.

Itachi kept a careful eye on the girl's companions as he replied. "Uchiha Itachi."

The girl smiled. "I am Sakura," she told him. "And these are Sasuke," she gestured towards the raven, "and Naruto" then the blond.

Neither of them looked particularly happy with the introduction, but they both nodded.

Itachi made a gesture with his hand and was glad when his team joined him moments later on the ground without any protest. He introduced them all and Sakura greeted them all one by one.

Behind her, Naruto called Sasuke over and said something to him, too quiet for Itachi to hear. Sasuke nodded, then stepped up behind the girl and tapped her shoulder. He leaned in and whispered into her ear, and the girl nodded. "Itachi, may I inquire what you are doing in my forest?"

Itachi shot his team a subtle look before he nodded once, firmly. "We are of the Elemental Alliance," he said. "And we are here to ask for your help."

"I have heard that second line many, _many_ times, Itachi," Sakura said. "You are going to have to be much more specific."

"Kaguya is threatening to destroy the world," he told her, wondering just how much this Goddess actually knew about the world beyond the trees, and how much she really did not know.

Sasuke choked on his laughter and he turned to the side, hand against his mouth. Sakura frowned at her raven-haired companion. "Sasuke," she said.

The male shook his head. "Right, sorry."

Sakura turned back towards him. "And what are you asking me to do?" She asked. "What did you come here expecting?"

"We would like your help to save mankind."

Sakura smiled. "So you want to defeat Kaguya," she said.

Itachi felt a wry smile make itself onto his face. "Essentially," he admitted.

"I will let you know, that I am nowhere near powerful as Kaguya on the battlefield," Sakura said, slowly turning away from them. She began walking back towards the trees and paused when no one followed, her companions frozen in shock and Itachi and his team in confusion. "Do you plan on standing his for the whole of our discussions?" She asked.

* * *

Naruto shot a glance in Sasuke's direction in alarm. The raven hurried over towards him and helped him to his feet, and they rushed off after Sakura.

"Sakura, wait!"

The pinkette paused in her steps. "Yes?"

"You're going to help them?" Naruto demanded. He glanced over his shoulder to where Uchiha Itachi and his team were slowly making their way after them.

"I am," Sakura said.

"Why?" Sasuke demanded.

"Because it is my responsibility to-"

"No!" Sasuke snapped. "You fulfilled your job generations ago!"

"Kaguya was sealed," Sakura said gently, not looking at either of them. "She was sealed and was supposed to remain sealed. The seals were supposed to hold. If she somehow unsealed them, she has become stronger than her restraints. If someone or something unsealed her, I must track down this something and figure out their intentions for doing so."

"Why are you protecting mankind like this?" Naruto whispered sadly. "You've given them everything; what else are you going to give them?"

Sakura finally turned around, and she smiled. "You know why," she said.

And sadly, they did. Neither of them protested against it for the rest of the trip back.

* * *

 **Update!**

 ** _Darque: So, they meet._**

 **Raven: Indeed they do.**

 ** _Darque: Naruto just wanted to beat them up._**

 **Raven: Haha.**

 ** _Darque: Stuff will happen soon._**

 **Raven: I'm pretty sure stuff is already happening.**

 ** _Darque: Right. Then, more stuff will happen next chapter._**

 **Raven: And even more stuffs will happen next next chapter.**

 **Read and Review~**


	8. Chapter 8

**NEW STORY INFO AT THE BOTTOM~**

 _ **Chapter EIGHT**_

Deidara slowly followed the Deity, her companions, and the rest of his team as they made their way deeper into the trees. Naruto and Sasuke were whispering between themselves and despite the way everyone had sheathed their weapons, he could feel the way none of his teammates relaxed.

Soon, he caught sight of something peeking out from between the trees. "Is that a house?" He asked.

"Seems like it," Sasori said.

"So, Goddess live in houses in the middle of killer forests?"

"Seems like it," Sasori said again.

Sakura walked straight towards the door and turned towards them. "Please, do make yourselves at home."

Deidara was surprised to find that the house was just like something one might have found back when the Elemental Nations still existed as individual countries. The pinkette gestured towards a table, then followed Sasuke as he helped Naruto upstairs. The two of them returned a while later and soon joined them with trays of tea.

"I am afraid we do not have much here," Sakura said apologetically. Sasuke pulled out a chair for her and she sat down.

"Please don't trouble yourselves," Itachi said. "Thank you for inviting us in."

Deidara suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as Itachi conversed with a Goddess, albeit a rather pretty looking one, as though he were talking to an acquaintance he had come across by chance after years.

Sasuke took a seat next to the pinkette then poured her, and himself, a cup of tea before he rather unceremoniously shoved the teapot in their direction. Sakura took a sip before she linked her hands in front of her and leaned in towards them. "Now, tell me what you are looking for."

Itachi, their designated spokesperson, cleared his throat. "Almost five years ago, rumors began arriving at the Elemental Nations, carried by travelers, of how an unknown force had decimated the area around the ruins of the Otsutsuki compound. Soon, Zetsu began appearing near the borders of the nations and the number of refugees increased. None of us took it seriously back then," he admitted. "Then, everything changed soon after. A horned woman appeared before us. She claimed that her name was Kaguya, and she proceeded to flatten the capital cities of the elemental Nations with an unseeable force. Within seconds, everything we had ever known was simply _gone._ "

Deidara tried to gauge Sakura's reaction. There was clear sorrow in her green eyes and as Itachi spoke, she raised a hand to her face. "She was angry," she whispered. "so, _so_ angry. She did not want to forgive the world, and I guess her anger has not died away in the least even after all these years."

"What did we-what did mankind do?" Kiba asked. "This was thousands of years ago, right?"

Sakura slowly took a sip of her tea and closed her eyes. "To us, human lifetiemes mean nothing. We can fall asleep and wake up to find that decades, sometimes even centuries, have passed. To Kaguya, her anger might as well be mere days old."

"But what did we _do_?" The Inuzuka pressed.

Sakura ran a finger along the rim of her cup, and Deidara was once again hit with how _human_ she looked. "You existed," she said after a while. "You existed."

And there was nothing really anyone could say to that.

* * *

There were a few seconds of silence as they contemplated the Goddess's words, and during this time Itachi tried to contain his curiosity.

He wondered if the Goddess before them called herself Sakura, or if that had been some official Godly name, with the title 'Deity of Spring' being something humans had given her on their own accord. Now that he thought about it, Kaguya had been recognized as a 'Goddess', but the title 'Deity' left a lot up to question. Perhaps humans did not know as much about the pinkette before him, though if she really did give them life he would have thought otherwise.

Finally, Sakura softly cleared her throat. Sasuke jumped at the sound and when he raised an eyebrow, the pinkette blushed. She quickly shook her head and turned back towards them. "I understand the immediate situation," she said. "However, you must know that the Gods left the lands with the intention to never return, to never interfere with mankind. This is why no one is appearing to stop Kaguya."

"Kaguya seems to be interfering a lot, if you get what I'm saying," Sasori muttered, but Sakura must have heard him for she nodded.

"That is why I will lend you my help."

Itachi paused, checking to make sure he heard correctly. He saw the way Sasuke tensed and clenched his fist, but he did not say anything.

"There are others like me who did not leave these planes," Sakura continued. "However, I have not been in contact with any of them since...since the war, and I do not know if any of them will be willing to aid us. Kaguya is a past none of us like to admit to."

"I'm guessing she was sealed for something?" Deidara asked. "There're different versions of the legends going around these days."

"I see." Sakura nodded once, firmly, to show that she would not elaborate further. "Indeed, we sealed her."

Itachi could feel the gaze of his team on him. After their intense fight with the blond, Naruto, who looked ready to kill them, the Goddess had easily accepted their request for help. However, what exactly did 'help' mean? Kaguya could shatter the earth and summon armies of white Zetsu. They didn't even know what exactly Sakura could _do._

He felt just a little bit uncomfortable. "So, you will help us?" He asked.

Sakura nodded. "I will."

There was another uncomfortable silence, where Itachi kept his gaze on his cup and Sakura continued to eye them expectantly. Finally, Sasuke seemed to take pity on them and leaned in towards the pinkette and whispered something. Sakura blinked.

"I can he-"

The words had barely left the Goddess's mouth when the raven beside her roughly grabbed her wrist. He dragged the girl to her feet and towards the door. The last words Itachi managed to catch were "What else am I supposed to do-" before the door slammed shut.

* * *

Sasuke spun Sakura around and pinned her against the closest wall the moment the door closed. "No," he said.

Sakura frowned. "What else am I supposed to do?" She repeated.

"You send us into battle," he replied easily.

Sakura bit her lip. "You know I don't like to do that," she whispered.

"I know," he said. "But you know we don't mind." He knew how _easily_ Sakura could insist on doing things herself, knew how he really did not have much of a say in this all. Still, he hoped she would, for once, allow them to keep her from harm.

Sakura sighed. Sasuke decided he did not like the frown on her face and poked at her forehead. "Also, you copied that Itachi guy." The pinkette's cheeks instantly flushed, and he mockingly cleared his throat.

Sakura pushed him away. Sasuke allowed her to, and when she rather crossly ordered him to go check on Naruto, he relented with a grin on his face.

* * *

The pink haired Goddess reentered the room without her raven companion. Neji watched as she wordlessly sat back down on her chair and took a sip of her tea.

"Is everything okay?" Itachi asked, and she nodded.

"Of course," she said. "I am sorry about that." She put down her cup and linked her hands in front of her. "Naruto and Sasuke cannot go anywhere without me," she said. "But they are tremendous fighting forces and will be able to aid you greatly. There are several conditions and limitations, but those are easy to work around as long as you know them."

Neji had a feeling she would not be telling them what exactly those were, and she did not offer any more information.

"From what I am aware, you humans have set up a camp a day or so travel away from here," she continued. "It is your last stand against Kaguya."

Itachi nodded. "So far, Kaguya has only continued to send White Zetsu our way, but we know she is capable of destroying us whenever she truly wishes to."

"I believe I know how exactly Kaguya flattened your home," Sakura said, eyes unfocused. "Has she made an appearance since she first appeared before you?"

Itachi shook his head. "No."

Sakura nodded. "The seals set to hold her were very powerful and comes in many parts," she said slowly. "It was our last act before our banishment. If she managed to unseal herself, we may have a tremendous problem. If someone unsealed her, that is another tremendous problem."

"Either way it's a tremendous problem," Sasori muttered, and Neji was almost in awe of the fact that the redhead always had some witty comment or another to throw their way.

Sakura, however, did not seem to notice his sarcasm. She simply nodded again. "Indeed we do," she said. "At some point, I will have to go check on it."

"The seal?" Neji asked, and they received another nod.

"So you will...lend us Naruto and Sasuke?" Itachi said slowly.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Simply put, yes," she said. "You may consider them extensions of me."

"And you will be accompanying us back to our camp?"

Sakura glanced around the house almost longingly before she closed her eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment. "Yes," she said. "Kaguya...I must deal with Kaguya before…" she trailed off, and Neji had a feeling he did not want to know what came after.

* * *

There seemed to be some mutual understanding among them to not question Sakura beyond what was necessary, but as Sasori watched Sasuke once again join them for the simple dinner the pinkette herself had set up, looking nicely healed, he wondered who exactly the two males with her were.

Extensions, Sakura had said, so it was obvious that the two were closely linked to the Goddess in someway. The chakra they both had was nothing like anything Sasori had ever seen a human wield, so perhaps they were Gods themselves? However, that did not explain why she seemed to rank above them, for no matter how familiarly the three of them interacted, there was a sense of respect coming from the males for her, and Sakura, in turn, seemed aware of the authority she held over them.

Throughout dinner, he continued to keep an eye on Sakura, who, he realized, did not touch much of anything on the table despite being the one to serve it.

Apart from her rare colorings, she looked like any other girl he might have come across on the streets. She was easily pretty, and even with his critical eye, he could admit that she was probably one of the most beautiful beings he had ever seen, though being a goddess probably gave her extra cheat codes in the appearance aspect. Her eyes were pools of rich green that seemed to change color with every movement and her pink hair reminded him of the delicate flowers that had grown in Suna, back when it had still existed.

Sasuke was the first to finish but he impatiently waited for them as they cleaned their plates. Rather, he waited for Sakura while the Goddess waited for them. They were then led upstairs, where there were a set of closed doors.

They were offered the guest room to share for the night, and Sasori found himself sharing the bed with Itachi because he was most definitely not sleeping on the floor and Itachi was just being the little shit they all knew he secretly was on the inside. Still, Sasori did not put up much of a fight because the bed _was_ big enough for at least two people and he did not really care as long as he did not have to share with Deidara or the Inuzuka, for they both looked like they would drool.

The rest of them spread sleeping bags out on the floor. They then checked around for traps and the likes then sat on the floor.

"For all the trouble we had getting here, they agreed to help us rather quickly," Shikamaru said quietly. The Nara had been quiet since they had met the Goddess, and Sasori was willing to bet that this time, it was because he was actually thinking.

"I know right?" Kiba exclaimed. "That blond guy was trying to kill us I swear, and then Sakura just came out of nowhere and just easily agreed to help."

"The Goddess said that it was not the first time people have visited her asking for help," Itachi said thoughtfully. "I am guessing she declined them up until this point."

"It seems as though Naruto and Sasuke might have killed them off before they got here," Shikamaru agreed. "Naruto looked surprised when Sakura appeared and both of them looked panicked when the Goddess agreed to help us."

"Perhaps she is only acceptable because of Kaguya's involvement," Neji said. "It is obvious there is some sort of history there."

"Maybe it's to lower our guard," Deidara said. "You know, to make us lower our guard and then kill us in our sleep."

"Why invite us in and feed us only to kill us?" Kiba asked.

"They could have gotten rid of us in the forest," Itachi agreed. "Naruto alone could have killed us off sooner or later. I can only assume Sasuke is equally powerful, and they have a Goddess on their side."

Deidara shrugged.

Sasori eyed his companions. "Are we just going to ignore the fact that her mode of transport was a bird man?" He asked.

Itachi shot him a look of exasperation. "That is an interesting point," he admits. "However, perhaps it is simply a mutant effect, like the Byakugan and the Sharingan?"

"Those wings circulated chakra just like the rest of him," Neji agreed. "It is possible that they were a more extreme form of chakra mutation."

"And their chakra?" Kiba asked. "It didn't seem human at all."

"Their bodies looked human," Neji said. "As far as I could see, they are mostly built the same way as us."

"Mostly?" Deidara asked.

Neji nodded. "Just like the way the Byakugan changed the chakra circuits around our eyes, there were some clear signs of chakra mutation in both Sasuke and Naruto."

"Their chakra interacts normally with their bodily functions?" Shikamaru asked slowly. "I'd have thought such intense chakra would burn away at a normal human from the inside."

"There are a few areas I'm unsure about," Neji admitted. "But there is nothing greatly different between them and us."

"They were with a Goddess, protecting her from what we could see, for a reason," Shikamaru said slowly. "Maybe they were chosen for their chakra, or their chakra became that way after they took up the roles."

"And the Goddess?" Sasori asked curiously. "How does she look in your ghostly white eyeballs?"

Nehi did not at all look impressed, but he did not comment. There was a sense of unease as the Hyuga appeared to consider his answer in his mind. "The Deity...apart from her outward appearance, there is nothing that even mildly suggests she is human. Her entire being appears to be solely constructed of chakra."

Deidara doubtfully glanced towards the door. "Really? If anything, her chakra is like that of an ordinary civilian's."

Neji nodded slowly. "I would say it is simply unnoticeable because it is very alike to chakra the trees and the grass and the natural environment emit."

"The Deity of Spring," Itachi said, and Neji nodded again.

"I guess that aligns with the story of humans being descendants of the Otsutsuki, who had given up godhood," Sasori said thoughtfully.

Kiba hummed in agreement. "I think we should just accept it," he said after a while. "We get the help we came here to look for; we should take what we're offered."

"Godly business isn't something we should be messing with," Shikamaru said in agreement. "Who knows when the Goddess will change her mind?"

But it was in Sasori's character to stick his nose where he was specifically told not to, though it was his first time messing with someone he was not confident he could take down.

Deidara moved towards the door to take first watch. As Sasori lay down, he sensed movement on the other side of the door. Sasuke had taken up a perch right outside their room. A tense wariness settled, but when there was no further movement, no signs of entry, they all, one by one, fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

When Shikamaru woke up, it was just as the sun was rising. Neji and Itachi were both already awake. Kiba, who had been the last watch, was crawling back into his sleeping bag to catch a few more moments of rest.

"Good morning, Nara," Itachi called.

Shikamaru yawned and nodded. "Mornin'." He sat up and stretched. Sadori was still lying down, but he could tell the redhead was already awake. Deidara was still curled up.

He turned towards the door where he could sense a different chakra signature right outside, where Sasuke had been the previous night. Shikamaru noted that Naruto's chakra was nowhere near as explosive as yesterday.

"They traded spots a few hours ago," Neji told him. "Just as the sun was coming up."

"Are they watching us?" he wondered aloud.

"Perhaps they do not trust us to not attempt to kidnap the Goddess and escaping," Itachi said, and it took Shikamaru a moment to realize that this was one of the raven's attempts at a joke. Most of them were never funny, though, because the Uchiha heir had a habit of incorporating harsh realities as inspiration, and they only served to make those around him realize the helplessness of the situation.

"Perhaps," Neji agreed, and Shikamaru caught him looking away. Maybe the Hyuga had realized as well.

There was a moment of content silence as those away slowly began preparing for the day. Soon, Kiba was rolling out of his sleeping bag and Deidara was sitting up as well.

"We didn't discuss when we would be heading out," the blond muttered. "Why are we getting up so early?"

"We will be returning as soon as possible," Itachi said, and there was a disapproving look in his eyes. "Once we are all ready, we will head down and discuss plans."

A second later, they heard movement outside and Naruto's chakra moved away.

"He isn't even trying to hide the fact that he was watching us," Kiba muttered and Akamaru let out a soft woof of agreement.

"Do you think he heard us?" Neji asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Maybe," he said because there really was no use pondering such things.

Minutes later, they had finished the last of their packing and they filled out the door and down the stairs, where Sakura was sitting at an already set up breakfast table. Naruto was seated where Sasuke had been the previous night and he shot them a dirty look as they approached.

Sakura easily seemed to ignore him, though, and she gestured towards the empty seats. "Good morning," she said rather pleasantly. "I hope you have all slept well."

Shikamaru bit back a comment about how comfortable they had all felt with some stranger sitting right outside their door. Instead, Itachi took the lead again. He sat down and smiled softly. "We did," he said. "Thank you."

Sakura beamed. "Please eat," she said. "There is plenty."

The team sat down, but none of them touched anything as Itachi leaned forward. "We would like to head out as soon as possible," he said. "Even as we speak, Kaguya is launching attacks at us."

Sakura's smile did not falter for a second. "I am afraid we will have to wait until evening," she said. "We missed sunrise by a few hours."

Shikamaru saw no change in Itachi's features, but he knew the Uchiha was growing increasingly worried the more time they spent away from their base. The heir opened his mouth, but Sakura raised a hand in a sharp gesture, making his stop.

"You are free to return whenever you please," she said. "We will be leaving in the evening."

Itachi clamped his mouth shut and lowered his head. Sakura eyed him for a while longer before her eyes became gentle. "We have our own circumstances," she said softly. "This forest conceals my presence, but the moment I leave the vicinity of the trees Kaguya will know. She will know, and she will try to get rid of me. Sunrise and sunset are the two safest times of travel for us."

Itachi nodded and Sakura straightened, smile back in place, and turned towards Naruto. "You heard us," she said. "Prepare for departure coming evening."

* * *

NEW STORY INFO:

* * *

 **NEW STORY:**

 **The Pain We Share**

 **Sasori x Sakura (Some Gaara x Sakura((Maybe)))**

 **Ever since Sasori could remember, there were cuts and bruises on his body. In a world where Soulmates exist and any injury or pain was shared between the two, he had grown up curious, then fearful, of what exactly his Soulmate was experiencing. Then one day he meets a broken pink haired girl when the Akatsuki takes down one of Orochimaru's bases and he slowly finds out. SoulmatesAU**

 **Posted on Tumblr as well (check it out) ((shameless self-advertisement))**

* * *

 **Update ma friends~**

 _ **Darque: Sakura seems nice most of the time, but she**_ **is _a Goddess and she knows it. She will not be pushed around here and she has her ways and she won't do things just to please the humans._**

 **Raven: We'll see a lot of her annoying the humans to no end, later on, I'm sure. Darque's very good at writing annoying people, seeing as she's annoying herself.**

 _ **Darque: I am not annoying. You are just easily annoyed.**_

 **Raven:...isn't that because you're annoying?**

 ** _Darque:...What?_**

 **Raven: Even if I am easily annoyed, I won't be if you aren't annoying, right?**

 _ **Darque:...omg.**_

 **Raven: You are annoying, hence why I am annoyed. Being 'easily annoyed' doesn't really matter in this case.**

 _ **Darque:...Do you see why you have no friends?**_

 **Raven:...Where did that come from?**

 **Read and Review~**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter NINE_**

Evening could not come any faster for Itachi as he and his team sat around, not sure how to pass the time. They had all run maintenance on their weapons, the number one time spender for those in their profession, and now they all hovered around the living room of the house, unsure, as Naruto prowled around for a few moments before he plopped himself down on the couch and lied down.

"Is he going to sleep?" Deidara asked.

"Looks like it," Shikamaru replied. The Nara yawned, and it looked like he would rather like to join the blond.

"Isn't he supposed to go prepare?" Kiba asked, scowling.

"I _am_ preparing," Naruto called, eyes still closed. "I'm resting up for travel."

Itachi heard a soft growl resonating from Kiba's throat and placed a hand on the Inuzuka's shoulder before he could let out a scathing comment. The teen bared his teeth in his direction before he seemed to bring himself back. He shot the blond another glare before he stormed off. Itachi watched him head towards the door, throw it open, and step out, then glanced over towards the blond, who he did not doubt for a second did not know what was going on.

Sure enough, Naruto stretched but did not open his eyes. "Don't wander into the trees~" he called. Kiba slammed the door shut in response and Itachi could swear he saw the blond roll his eyes. "What did I ever do to him," he muttered. "Humans."

"You kicked his dog," Sasori supplied.

"You say that like you aren't human yourself, un," Deidara said, at the same time. "Are you actually not human?"

Naruto sighed, then slowly sat up. "Well, it's kind of difficult to say," he begins, much to Itachi's surprise. "I mean, I _look_ human, don't I? And I act human too. By 'human', what exactly do you mean?"

Deidara glanced towards the rest of the team, but Itachi could tell that Naruto did not really mean harm with his question.

"The Goddess," Itachi said slowly, "she looks human but she is the least human out of all of us, isn't she?"

Naruto grinned. "You got that right," he said. "And yeah, the Teme and I aren't really human anymore. We were, once, but that was a long time ago."

"You barely look older than us," Shikamaru pointed out.

Naruto laughed, and it was the bright kind of laugh that made Itachi feel warmer, so unlike the mocking laugh of cold amusement the blond had first greeted them within the forest. "You might not believe it, but both Teme and I are well into our sixties."

Itachi blinked, not really sure what he had been expecting. Appearance wise, that really did not seem to be the case, but he had a feeling he had expected them to be much older. "There were others before you?" He asked.

Naruto nodded. "All Guardians are descendants of the original pair that stayed with Sakura," he explained. "Teme and I are merely two of many." He stood up and stretched. "Okay, I'm gonna go prepare," he said. "Might wants to go out and make sure your friends actually didn't step into the trees; a lot of those traps were left by our predecessors and none of us can really turn them off."

It turned out Kiba had settled himself just outside the door. He threw a stick towards Akamaru just as Neji stepped out the door and he didn't look up as his dog fetched it and brought it back. Sasori and Deidara glanced at each other, then started a loud argument about art and wandered off to the other side of the garden.

"Are you feeling better?" Itachi asked, and Kiba nodded.

"I thought you'd react more harshly," he said. "You seemed the most adamant out of all of us to return as soon as possible."

Itachi blinked. "There is nothing really we can do about it," he said after a while. "The Goddess clearly has her own agenda, her own rules."

Kiba tossed his stick again and watched Akamaru bound off after it. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's like the three of them have been holed up in this forest where nothing can touch them while the world died to conflict and illness and hunger around them. Even when Kaguya came and shit on us they still did nothing, and it looked like they were planning to continue doing nothing."

"But they agreed to help us," Neji said. "That has to count for something."

Kiba sighed. "I guess."

Neji thought he understood the Inuzuka's frustration. It was obvious from their first interaction alone that Naruto and probably Sasuke had great power, a power he thought could have been used to better the lives of a countless number of powerless people. Still, "There is much more than what we know," he said. "A lot has been lost to time and history, and there is too much we are missing for us to put together a story firm enough that it gives us the right to judge."

Kiba closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He took the branch from Akamaru and ruffled his white fur before standing up. "Right," he said.

Behind them, the door was thrown open and Naruto stepped out. "We're leaving once Teme wakes up," he called. "Sakura brought out more food, so if you want to eat before we depart I suggest you get back in here." He stepped aside to let them through and when Kiba nodded stiffly in thanks, Naruto simply grinned in return.

* * *

Sakura came down the stairs as they were eating. The pinkette had changed out of her simple white robes and into a slightly less flowing black outfit. She greeted them politely, then exited the house. Naruto watched her leave, then turned back to wolfing down the food on his plate. The blond had changed out of the lose, baggy clothes he had been wearing into something someone at a religious temple might wear. Shikamaru winced at all the orange but the blond did not seem to notice.

"Teme should be up soon," he told them in between mouthfuls. "Then we can leave."

"Is 'Sasuke' so much of a bastard that you actually refer to him as 'Teme' on a daily basis?" Sasori asked.

Naruto chuckled. "Having to deal with him every day should be illegal," he said. "It's not that people shit in his breakfast every morning; he buys rotten food on purpose."

"I am a saint for dealing with _you,"_ a voice growled. "Dobe."

Naruto whipped around, a grin on his face. "You're up!" He exclaimed.

"Not everyone can sleep through storms and your laughter is obnoxious enough to wake up anyone," Sasuke deadpanned. The raven had also changed and was now dressed in what looked to be a dark blue version of Naruto's clothing. "Where is Sakura?"

"Outside," Naruto replied. "She wanted to check on the daisies before we leave."

"We don't have any daisies," Sasuke said. He snatched an apple from the table as he passed.

Naruto threw up his arms and got out of his seat. "Daisies, poppies, flowers," he said. "They're all colorful and pretty." The two of them stepped out of the house but left the door open, and Shikamaru got to his feet when Itachi took the lead and they followed the pair. He was just in time to see Sakura stand up from her crouched position next to a patch of flowers. Now that he thought about it, there was an entire garden behind the house none of them had really had the chance to look at.

"I do not know long it will take Kaguya to notice my presence," Sakura said. "But I am sure she will come after me at some point. How likely is it that we encounter Zetsus on our way to your base?"

"Not very high," Itachi replied. "The base lies directly between here and where Kaguya is approaching from."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "If possible, I would prefer we find a place to rest for the night before the sun vanishes behind the horizon."

Shikamaru blinked because that was a _really_ short time they had for travel. He glanced towards Itachi, who was yet to say anything.

"I'll be fine," Naruto said immediately. "I ate a lot today; I can manage a night, really."

Sakura eyed the blond for a second before she nodded. "Very well," she said. "But you will not push yourself."

Naruto nodded. "Promise."

Sakura smiled faintly, then turned towards them again. "Shall we depart?"

* * *

Deidara summoned his clay bird and Kiba saw the way Sasuke eyed it with distrust clear in his eyes, even when the six of them clambered onto it without hesitation. "Come with me, Sakura," he said. "I can follow them easily."

Sakura turned towards the raven and nodded. "Okay."

Kiba watched in fascination as black wings burst from Sasuke's back in a cloud of smoke. He easily scooped up the smaller pinkette and spread his wings. "Dobe?"

Naruto made a face. "I'm not flying," he said. "I'll run, 'ttebayo."

Kiba immediately wanted to question _how exactly_ the blond was expecting to be able to keep up with their travel speed but when Sasuke simply nodded, he bit his tongue and refrained from saying anything.

"Are you ready?" Itachi called.

Sasuke glanced down at Sakura in his arms and something seemed to pass between them before the male nodded. "Whenever you are."

The clay bird took to the air and Sasuke gave a massive flap of his wings to follow. In seconds they had risen above the trees and Kiba glanced down to note that the house was no longer visible. Neither was Naruto. "Does he even know which way we're headed?" He asked.

Sasuke, who was hovering a little away from them, nodded. "He can follow our chakra," he said. "He might be stupid but he isn't _that_ stupid. Sakura poked him and the raven grunted. "He _is_ stupid," he insisted. "No _too_ stupid, but stupid all the same."

Kiba glanced down again in uncertainty and was just in time to see a glowing ball of fire break free from the trees.

"He's here," Sasuke said, at the same time. "Lead the way."

Deidara's bird took off in the direction of the Alliance base and Sasuke easily kept up with them. Down below, the ball of chakra that was Naruto stayed directly beneath them.

"We can set up camp before it gets truly dark," Itachi said suddenly, and Kiba glanced at the Uchiha.

"Oh?" Sakura asked. Sasuke flew closer, as close as he could, so that the pinkette did not have to raise her voice.

"Traveling through the dark is not ideal," Neji noted. "And I believe our allies will appreciate us arriving when they can clearly see us."

Sakura tilted her head, as though considering this, before she nodded. "Okay." The two of them swooped downwards, presumably to tell Naruto their plans.

"This... _limitation_ of theirs may cause problems in the future," Shikamaru noted half-heartedly.

"It will be ideal for them to share at least part of the circumstance with us," Neji agreed.

"If we start moving the moment the sun rises tomorrow morning, we'll arrive by evening," Sasori said.

Itachi nodded. "That is the plan."

Kiba glanced back down at the trio. "I wonder how much they can help us," he said quietly. "How much can they improve our situation?"

No one said anything in reply, and Kiba felt torn between satisfaction that that mankind finally seemed to have a way to properly combat a Goddess, and hopelessness of whether or not the Goddess who was supposedly now on their side could stand against the very creator of the lands.

* * *

As expected, their return was anticipated. Itachi had contacted Konan through special chakra paper to alert the Alliance of their return and by the time their base could be seen from a distance, Neji could see a crowd of chakra gathered near the entrance.

He wondered how many of them actually expected them to return with a Goddess.

"Are we just going to fly down?" Deidara asked. They had decided on one last rest before they made the final lap of their return journey.

"What else is there to do?" Sasori retorted.

"People are already waiting," Neji informed them.

"We will go down first and give a brief report," Itachi said, then glanced at Sasuke. "Could you join us when I give you a signal?"

Sasuke stiffly nodded. He looked down at the sleeping Pinkett in his arms and shook her awake. He whispered a few words to her before he turned towards Naruto, who nodded in understanding.

Itachi looked around his team and Neji met the Uchiha's gaze with a nod. The older teen narrowed his eyes just a little and turned to look at the base. "Let us go."

* * *

Gaara had been present when Nagato of the Akatsuki had brought news from the Deity hunt party. He was currently one of many who had gathered at the gates, eager to see if the best of the Alliance had actually managed to find something that might give them a fighting chance.

"I see them!" Hinata called softly, Byakugan eyes glaring white. "They are approaching."

Soon enough, Gaara caught sight of a single shadow in the sky. Within seconds he recognized it to be Deidara's clay bird and watched it circle above them for a second before it slowly descended. Itachi was the first to step off. The Uchiha bowed at Tsunade before he bowed at the rest of the Kage present. "Hokage-sama," he said. "We have returned."

Tsunade nodded stiffly. Itachi glanced around subtly and the blond woman turned to glare around at the gathered crowd. "Well, what are you all looking at?"

Gaara winced at the lack of tact, but he understood that discussions had to be held before anything was revealed to anyone. He nodded at Temari and Kankuro, who turned and began helping with herding the crowd away.

Once they were alone, Tsunade once again turned towards Itachi. "Well?"

"The Forest of Death was indeed inhabited by the Deity of Spring," Itachi said. "A Goddess, to be exact, and her two Guardians."

Tsunade glanced around and Itachi gestured up into the sky. Gaara guessed the Uchiha was telling them where the Deity and her companions were waiting.

"What did you think, Itachi?"

The Uchiha appeared to consider his words. "The Guardians take their roles seriously. They will probably attack is provoked or threatened. The Goddess appears to be empathetic towards our situation, but she has made clear she has her own reasons for lending us aid. I believe that if our enemy was not another Goddess, we, too, would have been eradicated within the Forest."

"So the Goddess is the reason for the rumors surrounding the Forest of Death?" A asked.

"The Guardians did," Shikamaru piped in. "To be fair, it appears as though most people who went looking for the Goddess, seeking for her help, were not genuine."

Tsunade looked around, and when their gazes met Gaara nodded. She turned back to Itachi. "Will the main tent suffice?"

Itachi nodded, then raised his hand.

Gaara glanced up in time to see something descend towards the earth. Black feathers flew in all directions and a dark silhouette turned towards them. Instincts honed by battle, Gaara raised a hand, sand answering his call beneath his feet, ready to fight.

"Watch it!"

A hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist. Gaara flinched and yanked his hand free. He whipped around and the gaze of a blond teen, who was suddenly standing next to him. "Where did-"

The blond raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, no need to attack."

Gaara turned stiffly towards Itachi, who looked the slightest bit embarrassed. "Naruto-san," he said.

The blond, Naruto, waved. "What he said," he said. "Nice to meet you, 'ttebayo." He pointed into the settling dust. "The ugly one over there's Sasuke, and the pretty one is Sakura-chan."

Black wings neatly folded themselves on the raven's back, before they vanished in a cloud of black smoke. The other male, Sasuke, nodded stiffly in the direction. The third newcomer, a delicate looking girl, hopped out of his arms. Naruto skipped over to stand to her right while Sasuke planted himself on her left. Gaara saw her green eyes turn towards them, taking them in, before she smiled softly. He had a feeling her eyes had lingered on him longer than the others but maybe that was simply his imagination.

"I am Sakura," she said. "I hear you are seeking my help."

Gaara instantly noticed that, whatever they had been seeking, she was it. The girl, no, Goddess, before him was much shorter than him. Her limbs were thin and everything about her screamed of fragility. Still, there was something about her, perhaps the look in her eyes or the way she held herself, that commanded power.

Gaara glanced over at Sasori, who noticed the look of curiosity in his eyes and nodded in confirmation, the usual laziness gone. Tsunade stepped forward first. "I am Senju Tsunade, one of the leaders of the Elemental Alliance," she said.

The rest of the Kage followed suit with their own introductions. The Deity simply smiled through the tense atmosphere.

Gaara could still sense the curious eyes of the people watching them, though they were much further away. If the Deity and her companions noticed, though, they showed no signs of it.

Tsunade looked at the main tent. "Perhaps we can discuss this inside?"

Sakura nodded, then gestured for the blond woman to lead the way. Gaara caught Sasuke and Naruto share a glance as they moved to follow the pinkette.

Despite not everyone fully believing in the tales of the Deity, the meeting tent had been set up. Tsunade gestured at the single seat that had been put up for the Deity, before she signaled for someone to grab more chairs.

However, Sakura stopped her. "One will suffice," she said. "It is no problem."

Tsunade looked unsure, but joined the rest of the Kage as they took their usual seats around the table. The Deity appeared willing to play human, and Gaara was grateful for that. Until she changed her mind, he would continue to treat her as an equal because he had really no idea how he was supposed to treat a Goddess.

Sakura sat down in the single chair while Sasuke hovered over her shoulder. Naruto plopped himself down on the floor at the pinkett's feet.

Onoki, who had been the most disbelieving towards the plan, immediately turned towards the girl. "You are the Deity?"

Gaara's eyes instantly caught the way Sasuke's hand drifted towards the sword at his hip. Sakura, however, simply nudged him. "I am," she replied.

Onoki scowled and A was quick to step in. "What we mean is-"

"You do not believe me," Sakura cut in.

A nodded stiffly. "No offense, but-" he gestured at her appearance. "You don't look like the strongest thing around."

Naruto snorted, then hissed when Sasuke not-so-subtly kicked him. Sakura continued to smile. "Did you expect me to look like Kaguya?"

The tense atmosphere seemed to get heavier.

"Gods and Goddesses were things of the pasts, legends, until Kaguya appeared," Mei said. "Not all of us were fully convinced we'd even be able to find you."

"And yet, you placed your hope on stories you did on even believe in," Sakura said. "That speaks volumes for the severity of the situation."

Tsunade linked her hands in front of her. "I guess Itachi filled you in?"

Sakura nodded. "I know of the situation," she said. "Though I must tell you, it could have been worse."

Onoki scoffed and opened his mouth, and Gaara knew that the old man was going to rattle off the number of people that had died, the lived that had been destroyed, but Sakura raised her hand in a surprisingly sharp gesture that stood out against her delicate appearance and he froze, almost as though something had compelled her.

"Kaguya was sealed," Sakura said. "And she is not yet at full power. It could have been worse, and there is a possibility it will get worse."

"And is there a way to stop it from becoming worse?" Tsunade asked.

"You stop her from fully regaining her powers," Sakura replied, as though it was the most simple thing in the world.

"And how do we do that?" Gaara asked. He could feel Tsunade's annoyance rising and was reminded of times when he spoke to Shikaku. Only giving answers to questions asked appeared to be a habit of those who knew more than they should. He didn't doubt for a second that the pinkette before him knew much more than the Nara, but they gave off the same air.

Sakura turned towards him and he once again had the strange feeling that she was looking right into his soul. "I cannot say just yet," she said. "It all depends on whether or not Kaguya managed to unseal herself, or if someone else unsealed her." She absentmindedly reached down and ran her fingers through Naruto's hair. "I will need to pay a visit to the ruins of the Otsutsuki clan."

Gaara glanced at his fellow Kage. Mei was the first to speak up. "That was where Kaguya was first seen," she said.

Sakura nodded. "That was where Kaguya was sealed."

"Won't it be dangerous to go there?" Gaara asked.

Sakura tilted her head as though thinking. "I doubt that," she said after a while. "If anything, I believe Kaguya will have vacated from the ruins as soon as possible."

"Why do you say that?" A prompted.

"The chakra of the Otsutsuki and its familiarity with ours made it the ideal place to seal Kaguya. The seals were very powerful, and I highly doubt Kaguya could have destroyed them even if she did manage to escape. Staying near them will continuously weaken her." Green eyes, suddenly cold, glanced over them. Gaara was reminded that despite her appearance, the girl before them was not human. He wondered to what extent she even understood thoughts and feelings. "Besides, she is currently looking for something. Why else did you think she hasn't destroyed you yet?"

Onoki looked ready to fly at the Goddess and Gaara opened his mouth to try and steer the conversation in another direction, but Tsunade beat him to it.

"Is it bad if she finds whatever she is looking for?"

Sakura smiled, and Gaara wondered if the look on her face was a show of emotion or simply movement of human-like facial muscles. "Indeed," she said. "However, until she finds them she will not...no, she cannot destroy you."

* * *

 **Okay, this one was a tad bit rushed...sorry...**

 _ **Darque: I'll go over it soon to make sure I don't have stupid mistakes. I can't today, though, I just came back from Japan (uni stuff) ((I FAILED I'M SO SURE)) and I'm exhausted.**_

 **Raven: :/ You know, I hated writing this chapter.**

 _ **Darque: I gotta say, me too. I liked that they meet and things will happen soon, but like, HOW DO PEOPLE REACT TO SEEING A GODDESS?**_

 **Raven: I know right. Like, this is a world where Gods and Goddesses exist, but still, I dunno if they'd have accepted it so easily.**

 ** _Darque: Let's just say it hasn't settled in yet. They aren't freaking out yet because it hasn't fully settled._**

 **Raven: That and it's Itachi who claimed she was real. Itachi doesn't joke.**

 _ **Darque: Right.**_

 **(Raven: Darque did some concept art for Sasuke's crow form thing (it actually looks kinda nice), and is working on one for Naruto as well, so if you're interested, please check it out on her tumblr~)**

 **Read and Review~**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter TEN**_

Sasuke chose that moment to yawn, and instantly the Goddess was deeming it was time someone showed them to wherever they were to rest.

There wasn't much Tsunade could do to convince her otherwise, and she simply called out for Shizune, who she had asked to standby outside the tent, and she hurried to her side seconds later. "Tents have been prepared," she said quietly.

Tsunade nodded, then turned towards the Goddess and her entourage. "This is Shizune," she said. "She will show you to your tents. We are at war, and I am afraid we cannot offer you much comfort."

Sakura waves it off. "I know war," she said vaguely.

Naruto got to his feet and Sasuke was already moving towards the exit when Sakura turned around. "Do you have offensive plans?" She asked. "Or only defensive ones?"

Tsunade glanced at the other Kage before carefully answering. "Our next offensive move was going to be discussed at a meeting tomorrow," she said. "However, with the way the Zetsu grow stronger every day, we've had our hands full with keeping our defenses together."

Sakura nodded. "I will attend this meeting," she announced. "I have fought Kaguya before."

Sasuke held up the cloth door of the tent and Sakura stepped out. Tsunade watched the raven let go of it just as Naruto was trying to follow. The blond growled in annoyance and right after he had stepped out himself, she heard a childish argument break out between the two.

It faded as they were led away until finally, all she could hear was tense silence.

Mei was the first to break the silence. "She was not what I expected," she said.

Gaara nodded slowly in agreement. "I agree. I was expecting someone who-"

"Looked demonic?" Oonoki asked bitterly. "Huge? Like Kaguya?"

Gaara fixed the man with a blank stare. "I was going to say 'looked less human', but yes."

"Do you think she means it when she agreed to help us defeat Kaguya?" A asked. "They are fellow Deities."

"Versions of the story state that Kaguya went against the other gods," Gaara said.

"She will help us, but she has her own agenda," Tsunade said. "That's what it felt like."

Mei nodded. "As long as our goals align, I think she'll stand with us."

"We introduce them to the clan heads tomorrow," Gaara said.

Tsunade nodded. "Perhaps now, we can go on the offensive."

* * *

The moment Tsunade had led the small group away, Itachi hurried off to report to his clan while Neji did the same. Kiba was bowled over by his mother then dragged off. Sasori wandered off before Gaara's siblings could find him and Deidara rushed odd after him, leaving Shikamaru to stand awkwardly by himself. He didn't have to for long, though, for Ino and Choji had been a part of the crowd, waiting for him, and they were quick to reach his side.

"You're back!" Ino exclaimed. "Alive and whole!"

Shikamaru thought of the battle against Naruto and tried not to wince at the true panic he had begun to feel during that time. He had probably never feared a single enemy as he had at that point. He wondered how his friends would have reacted if he hadn't come back. "I guess so."

Choji had been following the Goddess and her Guardians with his eyes. "Is that pink haired girl the Deity?" He asked in awe.

Ino nodded. "The pretty one with the green eyes?"

Shikamaru nodded, suddenly feeling exhausted. He wordlessly began to make his way towards his own tent, and his friends followed.

"You have to tell us everything," Ino demanded. "So the whole Goddess thing is real after all? Who were the two guys?"

"She's going to help us right?" Choji asked at the same time.

Shikamaru entered his tent, and Ino and Choji followed without hesitation. They waited impatiently for him to put his things down and sit on his sleeping bag. "The Deity of Spring is a Goddess called Sakura," he began. "The two males are Naruto and Sasuke, and they act as her Guardians. We fought Naruto on our way into the Forest of Death, and he probably could have wiped us out. I don't doubt Sasuke is as strong as him." He paused. "Sakura and the other Deities fought Kaguya in the past, and they sealed her. Sakura is helping us fight Kaguya because she sees it as her duty to do so once again."

"That isn't very reassuring," Choji notes.

"She's a Goddess, a being above ours," Ino said. "Our _creators_."

Choji bit his lip and Shikamaru felt bad for his friends. It was easy to picture Sakura betraying them, after all. And unlike Kaguya, who was still out there, Sakura was right within their final stronghold.

"She appears to be empathetic towards us," he told them. "Maybe because she once fought Kaguya herself. I'm not sure if she is capable of feeling sympathy though."

Ino glanced over at the main tent again. "It'd be nice to be able to talk to her at some point," she said offhandedly.

Choji's eye widened, but Ino continued before the Akimichi could protest.

"There's a meeting tomorrow," Ino told him. "The one with all the clan heads. We're expected to attend, and I think the Goddess will be invited too."

Shikamaru made a mental note to check in with his father at some point soon; now that he was back, he would probably be expected to join the patrols and whatnot. He sighed again.

Hopefully, he could get at least a day off.

* * *

Itachi entered the main tent behind his father early in the morning. Fugaku sat down in his usual seat and Itachi wordlessly followed. When he had returned to his family, both his parents had been pleased with his safety but had reacted differently to the news of the Goddess.

His mother was pleased something had come out of his dangerous outing. Mikoto spent so much time worrying over him and the rest of his clan, crying for every member lost, that he often worried.

Fugaku, on the other hand, had been upset that there was a being with the power to possibly stand up to Kaguya hiding away all this time while mankind was slowly pushed to the edge. Itachi remembered Kiba reacting in the same way and could agree that it was a reasonable view.

Itachi understood why some people thought like that. Kiba had reacted in the same way, after all. Still, curiosity seemed to win him over an Itachi was glad when his father agreed to attend the meeting. The usual members were there. Itachi and Neji shared a nod and Sasori lazily waved in his direction when their eyes met.

The Goddess was yet to arrive and Itachi was relieved by that fact. Some expected members were still absent, and it would be very awkward if all those present could do was stare at the Goddess while they waited. The Goddess was very pretty, in an exotic, inhumane kind of way. It was a kind of beauty that screamed danger, and yet lured you in.

Almost as though mirroring his thoughts, or perhaps out of sheer coincidence, Sakura entered the tent moments after the leader from a clan in the Land of Lighting had settled in his seat. Instantly, eyes were on her, taking in her appearance. Naruto was behind her but Sasuke was nowhere to be seen, and Itachi had a feeling the raven was sleeping. The blond theatrically pulled out the chair for the pinkette. He then ignored his own, simply sweeping the seat to the side, and once again took his place by the Goddess's feet.

Tsunade cleared her throat to start the meeting. "Perhaps we should begin with introductions," she said. "We were a little bewildered yesterday, but is there a specific name we should call you by?"

Sakura blinked, as though the thought had never occurred to her. Itachi had to admit it was a good question. Was referring to a Goddess merely by her name rude?

"You can call her Sakura-sama and grovel at her feet," Naruto called. "The only one allowed to call her Sakura-chan is me!" He whined when Sakura smacked him lightly.

"Pay him no mind," Sakura said immediately after. "Sakura is fine."

Tsunade nodded. "Very well. Present here are those who lead the clans that make up the majority of our fighting force," she said.

Sakura smiled. "I am Sakura," she said. "This is Naruto, and our third companion, who is currently not present, is Sasuke."

"Why is that?" Someone, a man who Itachi recognized to hail from the Land of Water, asked.

"He's napping, 'ttebayo," Naruto told him. "Long travel is too much for his delicate skin."

Sakura smacked him again. "Ignore him," she said. "Though it is true that he is currently resting."

"Shall we begin?" Gaara asked. When he received no complaints, he raised his hand. Temari stepped forward and spread out a large map on the table before them. On it were markings from previous meetings. There were colored pins indicating ally forces and white pins that symbolized Zetsu. There were small flags that pointed out Zetsu sightings that had yet to be confirmed while small blocks represented temporary patrol bases.

Sakura eyed the map in a nostalgic sort of way. No one said anything as she swept her fingers over the paper. Finally, she looked up. "Kaguya," she said.

Tsunade nodded, and began telling the tale from years ago, back when the Zetsu had first appeared. Itachi knew the pinkette had heard the story from the hunting party, but she patiently sat through it again.

"You said yesterday that Kaguya might no longer be in the Otsutsuki ruins," Gaara said. "But from our intel, it appears as though the Zetsu are continuing to appear from that general direction?"

Sakura placed her hands on the map, leaning over it. She was muttering under her breath, too quietly for Itachi to hear. Finally, she seemed to come to a conclusion. "I will have to visit the ruins to know," she said. "Perhaps she is using the Otsutsuki chakra still in the ruins to create them."

"What are they really?"

Sakura closed her eyes. "Former humans," she said. "The Otsutsuki clan were Gods that had given up Godhood to become the first humans. Kaguya did not like that. Long story short, the White Zetsu were once humans that Kaguya consumed. She is digging up the graves of those who were once kin."

There was a moment of silence, and Itachi thought that perhaps the Goddess was mourning. Then it was gone. Sakura opened her eyes, revealing sharp green orbs, and she was once again sweeping her gaze over the map.

"The Zetsu are not affected by physical limitations such as fatigue, but they can be killed," she said. "Sasuke will join your night patrols, while Naruto will stay with those during the day. The priority will be to clear the Zetsu that are threatening to surround this camp. Once that threat is gone, you will further your offensive plans. Currently, we need to focus on removing the possibility of this base being swarmed while the fighting force is out."

"Won't it be faster if Sasuke and I just go out and smack them around a little?" Naruto asked.

Sakura eyed the map, eyes flickering over the colorful pins. "Could you do that without causing a single casualty from this side?" She asked. It was not a rhetorical question, merely one of curiosity, and Itachi once again wondered how the Goddess perceived human life.

Naruto frowned and tilted his head in thought. "That's might be a little difficult, 'ttebayo."

Sakura nodded. "Then that won't do."

Itachi let out a soft sigh of relief he hadn't realized he had been holding in. The Goddess before them could not possibly understand what a single life had come to mean to him. Over the course of the battle of survival against Kaguya, everyone standing with him in whatever role they undertook had become important.

He did not want to lose anyone else if he could help it.

Itachi looked up again to see Sakura's piercing eyes staring right at him. In seconds, other noticed and they too looked at him. The pinkette did not say anything, however, and she merely turned back to the map soon after.

"You do not have to waste so many men here," she said a while later, indicating towards the rivers, where they secured drinking water.

"Water sources are important to humans," Hiashi said curtly. "We-"

"Kaguya does not know that," Sakura said dismissively. "We do not need food, we do not need water. We are superior beings, we do not need to know of lesser lifeforms. Kaguya loathed humankind since it began, and was sealed for thousands of years. Kaguya does not know mankind to be anything more than mere insects. Do you know what insects need to survive?"

Itachi knew, for he had read a book or ten about it, but he held his tongue, seeing a point the Goddess was making.

Sakura swept her finger through the pins, knocking them away from where they had been stations around the riverbanks. "Move them," she said easily. "Now, these spots were your numbers are thin? Leave them like that. This-"

"You want us to spare our men, only to not send them where they are needed?" Fugaku demanded, and Itachi winced at the mockery in his father's tone.

Sakura looked up and eyed the man as though she were looking at an interesting and yet, a troublesome specimen which she had to chose between keeping and tossing aside. "If there are no men within the vicinity," she said slowly like she was talking to a toddler. "Naruto or Sasuke can easily clean up. If you do not want to lose your men, I suggest you keep them away while they are at it."

"You want me to go do that now?" Naruto asked, getting to his feet. "We still have some time until sunset; I can go there and be back before then."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "The moment you or Sasuke actually fight, Kaguya will know I am here."

"And what happens if Kaguya finds out you're fighting with us?" C of the Land of Lightning asked.

"The two most likely outcomes are; she will immediately focus all her forces to this base in an attempt to eradicate me, or she will double her efforts to find the artifacts she is most likely out looking for."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. Right, the artifacts the Goddess would not tell them about.

Sakura continued. "I doubt it will be the first, because to kill me she will have to kill all of you, and as I said, she cannot risk doing that just yet. I will not be surprised if the attacks on this base lesson. She will know I know what she is doing, and she might gather her forces around herself in an attempt to slow down whoever might go after her to stop her."

"Will that make approaching the ruins easier?" Itachi asked. "From what you said, it appears as though we won't know anything for certain until we investigate them."

Sakura glanced his way before she turned to Naruto again, her mind apparently made up. "Check in on Sasuke before you go," she said. "He does not have to wake up. Just let him know you are leaving so he is aware."

Naruto grinned, understanding what she wanted. "He'll wake up if I tell him I'll be gone," he said, laughing. "But I got it."

"Do you need a map?" Sakura asked.

Naruto shrugged, then shook his head. "I just kill the Zetsu where I won't hurt any humans int he crossfire, right?"

And just like that, the blond headed out of the tent.

Itachi stared after him, and Kankuro was the first to speak up. "So, uh, he's just gonna go out and kill all the Zetsu?" He asked.

"In this area," Sakura corrected.

"In this area," Kankuro repeated. "All the Zetsu in this area."

Sakura nodded.

"Just like that?" Kankuro asked.

Sakura nodded again.

Kankuro leaned back in his chair, eyes wide in disbelief. However, before anyone could say anything else, Sasuke burst into the tent. He wordless approached Sakura and sat down by her feet, not seeming to notice, or not caring for, the gazes of everyone present on him. Sakura leaned down and whispered something to the raven, fingers running through his hair, and Sasuke leaned his head against her knee before he closed his eyes.

Sakura smiled faintly before she turned back to the map once again. "Next, I would like to address the positioning of the rear guard..."

* * *

There were two different reactions to Sakura's sudden interference with plans.

Kiba could hear comments and whispers of annoyance and even anger the moment the Goddess left with Sasuke in tow, but he could also hear words of awe and even respect.

Kiba himself was unsure of how he felt, and from the troubled expression on his mother's face, she felt the same. Tsume seemed to notice his gaze and grinned. "She sure was something."

He nodded in agreement.

The woman sighed and slumped in her chair. He saw several other clan heads, namely Fugaku and Hisashi, looking at her with disapproval in their eyes but his mother ignored them.

"What did you think of her?" He asked curiously. His mother was a strong woman, and he was curious how the Goddess had appeared in her eyes.

"She definitely knows what she's doing," Tsume said immediately. "And she seems to know how to do things to get it. Still, I worry that her methods are the methods of the Gods, and I don't know if we humans will be able to keep up with them."

Kiba glanced down at his hands. The praises and complaints from those around him seemed to grow louder.

They had finally found a breakthrough, but why had any of them expected for things to go just as they had wanted them to? Had they thought that they could control the Goddess and make her act how they wanted her to through prayers?

Desperate actions were almost never thought through, and great power came at a great cost. He wondered what the payment for trying to recruit a Goddess would be.

He wondered if it was too late to be wondering about it at all.

* * *

 **Update~ (Was a tad bit** **D:** **rushed)**

 _ **Darque: So yeah, it's just humans vs Goddess and friends interactions for now.**_

 **Raven: Individual interactions and stuff will come soon.**

 _ **Darque: Indeed.**_

 **Raven: Yeah.**

 **Read and Review~**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Chapter ELEVEN_**

Gaara left the main tent soon after Sakura had. The meeting hadn't officially been concluded yet, but the suffocating atmosphere surrounding the table became too much for him at one point. His siblings could manage things for a while.

The sun felt like a nice change from the stuffiness of being indoors and he closed his eyes, basking in the natural warmth. The sound of human activity around him kept him grounded to the reality of war, though, and he opened his eyes again just in time to see a covered body being carried away on a stretcher.

A handful of warriors had been struggling in the gap between life and death for a few days, and it appeared they had lost another to the other side. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes again, allowing himself a moment of grief.

"Humans are so fragile, aren't they?"

Gaara's eyes snapped open and he whipped around at the voice. Sakura stood beside him, as though she had been there the entire time. She tilted her head as she looked him over. "I wonder, at times, what made my kin want to give up Godhood for something so frail and short-lasting."

Gaara did not reply, but it did not look as though the Goddess was looking for a reply.

"Then again, I simply do not understand the value of each life as well as you appear to," she said. _So she knew._ "Perhaps that is something one can understand only when they have a short moment to appreciate it." She linked her hands behind herself and leaned in towards him. Gaara could feel her breath on his neck and could sense the eyes of everyone nearby, who had noticed the pinkette's presence. "Tell me, human, does your life feel long to you?"

Gaara carefully stepped away, hoping she did not think him rude and turn him into a squirrel, or something. "It would probably feel longer if there was no war going on," he replied carefully. "My name is Gaara," he added after a second thought.

Sakura smiled and straightened herself. "I see. And, I am aware, Gaara." She opened her mouth again, only to freeze, and Gaara sensed what had made her pause. A tremendous amount of chakra was approaching and moments later Sasuke appeared from around the corner, eyes wide. "Sakura!"

"He found me," Sakura muttered. "That boy is worse than Naruto, I swear." She turned to Gaara and smiled in a secretive way just before Sasuke was close enough to see it.

"Don't wander off like that!" The raven scowled. "I turned around and you'd just vanished!"

Perhaps Goddesses did not roll their eyes, but Gaara was sure that if she had been any other person, she would have. Instead, Sakura simply smiled. "I won't leave this place without telling you," she said gently. "And Gaara was keeping me company."

Sasuke finally turned towards him, as though he were worthy of looking at now that Sakura had mentioned him. "That's what I was worried about," he said, without the slightest intention of hiding his scorn. "Well, better him than anyone else, I guess."

Amidst his growing annoyance at the blatant disrespect, Gaara wondered what he meant.

Sasuke turned away as though he had once again vanished from his world. "I looked around like you asked," he said, then pointed towards the part of the camp people of the Land of Water gathered. "I found one there," he said, then waved ambiguously. "Two there, and a couple of others all over the place. Then there's this one." Gaara received a jerk of his head in his direction. The raven rolled his eyes. "You knew already," he said. "Why make me count?"

Sakura smiled and from the way Sasuke scoffed it must be one she used often when she was unwilling to say any more. "Right, whatever," he muttered.

Sakura laughed. "Should you not be sleeping?" She asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "The idiot's not here. Someone has to keep an eye on you."

Gaara was beginning to feel more and more left out, as though he didn't exist. He had been just about to sneak away when Sakura turned towards him. "Do not leave just yet, Gaara," she said. She waved casually when Sasuke opened his mouth to no doubt protest, making him swallow whatever he had been about to say. "I would like to know more about your people," she announced.

Gaara paused. "Excuse me?"

"It has been a while since I experienced human life," she said. "And I believe it helps to know what exactly you are fighting to protect." She glanced at Sasuke and nudged him when the raven turned away. She then spun away from him, steps light and graceful. "Why did you decide to stand up against Kaguya?" She asked. "What made you decide to shoulder the weight of the lives of entire nations worth of people? What makes you _stand up and fight?_ "

There were many places Gaara could have taken the Goddess. He could have taken them to where the warriors trained and talked about their pride as humans. He could have led them to the medical tents and the injured and shared their determination. He could have shown them the graves of those whose bodies they had managed to recover and talked of their sacrifices. He could have shown them their archives and relayed to her their history.

However, Gaara was selfish. He had lost so much to war and bloodshed. People had fought, people whose faces he didn't know and names he hadn't heard, and they had died. Some had died in front of loved ones, giving their life for those they cared for, and others had died alone, out in the unknown, to never be found and properly mourned for.

He wanted her to know that. He wanted her to know it all.

Sakura curiously eyed the platform of sand he had made. Beside her, Sasuke bristled at it suspiciously. Gaara cautiously held out his hand. The Goddess smiled and gracefully took it, allowing him to help her up beside him. Sasuke looked ready to protest but he surprisingly did not. He hopped up next to them and Gaara did not stop him. Instead, he simply urged the sand to follow his command, and it answered.

The people were long used to his habit of using his sand as a way to look over the camp, but the moment they began to point up towards them, Gaara knew they had caught sight of his unusual passengers. They were too far up to hear what was being said, and Gaara decided to ignore them for the time being.

Sakura peered over the edge without any worry of falling. "This must be useful," she commented.

Gaara eyed Sasuke, biting back a comment about the pinkette's own flying transport standing next to her. He nodded. "It is."

Soon, they were hovering well above the camp.

"Before the war," Gaara said, "I would do the exact same thing back at home. I come from the Land of Wind, and despite being the youngest of three siblings I took over as its leader after my father died." He closed his eyes, picturing his home as it had been. If he were in his usual spot, the market place would be to his left, the school to the right...

He risked a glance over at Sakura, who was leaning almost dangerously over the edge of his sand but hadn't made a move to say anything. He then turned to Sasuke, who was scowling and pointedly not looking down. He opened his mouth but closed it again when no words came to mind.

Finally, after a while, Sakura stepped back. "I wonder," she said softly. "I wonder whether scenery before my eyes differs from the one that appears before yours."

Gaara bit his lip, not knowing how to answer. He saw his people. The civilian area was right below them and he could see a group of children, their future, kicking around a ball they had managed to salvage from somewhere. Nearby, a group of elderly were seated surrounded by younger children, no doubt telling them a story.

There was so much he wanted to show her, and no time to go through it all. So, instead, he showed her his people and hoped she understood what he could not put to words.

"I think she was waiting for you."

Gaara turned towards Sasuke, surprised the raven was talking to him. The other male continued to look ahead, eyes fixed on Sakura, who was looking over the camp with something unreadable in her eyes.

"Naruto and I kept Sakura in the forest to protect her. Kaguya hurt her before, and she took it for mankind. We didn't want her to hurt anymore. She stayed because we wanted her to, and she cares for us despite her status," Sasuke sighed. "But deep inside, I think she was waiting for you to call, waiting for someone strong and desperate enough to break through our prison of protection."

Gaara did not reply.

* * *

Naruto returned grinning, a little dirty, but uninjured. Deidara could still remember the trail of fire the blond had left when he had fought the whiskered man and did not doubt for a second that that had been the form the blond was in when he had torn through the ranks of advancing Zetsu. He knew that while they had taken the Goddess' warning to heart and stayed away while the blond was gone, a team had been sent out to see what exactly had happened after he had returned.

He had to admit, he was curious himself. After all, the aftermath was probably what he and his team would have ended up like.

He watched, slightly amused, when the Tsuchikage stormed up to the blond, only for the Guardian to completely ignore the man as he placed a hand over his eyes and looked around. "Sakura-chan?"

Something brushed his arm, and he whipped around to see Sakura standing right beside him. "I am here."

Deidara jumped and stumbled backward. "Since when, un?" He demanded. He placed a hand over his heart, trying to calm his breathing. When was the last time someone had managed to creep up on him?

Sakura turned to him. "Since just now," she said. "I apologize if I scared you."

Deidara nodded, unsure of how to react. Then there was a flash of yellow, and Naruto was beside them as well, sweeping the pinkette up into his arms and spinning around. "I'm back Sakura-chan~"

"I can see that, Naruto." The pinkette smiled and ran a hand through messy blond hair. "Welcome back, I am glad you are unharmed."

Naruto put her down carefully and flexed in a dramatic fashion. "Weaklings don't stand a chance," he bragged. Still, Deidara knew the Guardian meant what he was saying. He could see the muscles rippling beneath his skin. Even if it came down to a purely physical fight, Naruto could more than hold his ground.

Sakura laughed softly. "Let us go find Sasuke," she said. "He has been awake this entire time, and he will no doubt be cranky."

Naruto grinned. "Because you ditched him?"

Sakura lightly slapped him on the shoulder. "I did not."

Naruto's grin widened, and Deidara paused for a second time when he turned towards him. "Hey, Deidara!"

"Hi, un..." He knew he looked less than comfortable, but neither Naruto nor Sakura seemed to mind. Deidara watched as the Guardian once again scooped the Goddess up into his arms, and the two of them vanished over the rooftops.

* * *

Itachi had been assigned to border patrol, and by the time he and his team returned all anyone could talk about Naruto's apparent decimation of an entire group of White Zetsus.

They reported their return and were dismissed for the day. Itachi instantly began heading towards the Uchiha clan tent and inwardly groaned when he noticed that heading there would not protect him from the thing he was currently trying to escape.

"You got to meet them properly, right?" His cousin, Uchiha Shisui asked. "What were they like?"

"A Goddess, and her Guardians," he said, already long tired with the question. The test of the party had been quick to understand he was not interested in answering questions, but Shisui either did not notice or, more likely, he was simply ignoring it.

Shisui pouted and opened his mouth, but Itachi cut him off.

"If you are that interested, you should go talk to her," he said, "I do believe she may like you."

That was not a lie. People tended to like Shisui, though Itachi wasn't exactly sure that extended to Goddesses as well.

Shisui grinned. "You think so?" He asked. "Okay, I'll go do that."

Itachi watched his older cousin skip off and wondered if he should apologize to Sakura on a later date, then backtracked a little, because did Goddesses understand jokes?

* * *

Shisui had to admit, he had been skeptical when the head council had revealed their almighty plan to save humanity, but when his cute cousin had returned with a Goddess he was probably one of the fastest to accept it.

He honestly didn't care what this Deity was like as long as they helped. Things were that desperate, after all. She hadn't been what exactly he had expected, but he was sure that was the case for many of them.

After parting with Itachi, Shisui headed towards the area of the camp that had been cleared for the Deity and her companions. Even before he was that close to the tent, he could tell there was no one there. He paused, then turned towards a warrior from Iwa to ask if he knew the whereabouts of the Goddess.

He received a shrug and an unsure direction towards the training grounds. Nonetheless, he thanked him and began making his way in the general direction.

The crowd gathered by the mouth of the biggest training area alerted him of something, and when he got there he saw that, indeed, it was the Goddess.

The pink-haired Deity was sitting on the ground, Sasuke lying down with his eyes closed and his head on her lap. A little away, Naruto was spinning around in what he thought was a variation of kata. Shisui eyed the crowd, who all looked too fascinated to leave but too scared to approach. Steeling himself, he hopped over the fence parting them and began making his way across the grounds.

Sakura paused in her action of petting Sasuke's hair and looked up right at him. In the next second, the hand Naruto had raised came down with fire wrapped around it, and Shisui quickly stepped back when the orange flames lashed out at him. "Woah!"

"Naruto," Sakura chastised.

Naruto shrugged unapologetically. "Sorry," he muttered. "Habit."

Sakura huffed. She glanced down at Sasuke, then gestured towards him with her hand. She patted the earth next to herself. "Come," she said. "Sit."

Unsure of the sudden direction things were heading, he did as told.

"You look like (ITACHI)," she noted. "You are family?"

Shisui nodded. "We're cousins,"

Sakura hummed. "I see," she said. "Now, what can I do for you, cousin of Itachi?"

Shisui laughed. "Call me Shisui," he said.

"Very well, Shisui."

He grinned and leaned back on his hands. "And I wasn't looking for anything, really. Just wanted to see what you were like."

Sakura smiled. "And what do you think?" She asked.

"You're very pretty," he told her honestly. "And I can tell you're much, _much_ stronger than you look."

Sakura smiled and turned back down to a sleeping Sasuke. "I see."

Shisui watched them for a while. Their interactions seemed friendly enough. In fact, it reminded him of a family.

Naruto chose that moment to come bounding over. "Sakura-chan! I'm hungry." He crouched down in front of the pinkette and grinned.

Sakura smiled, and the blond leaned into her touch when she brushed his cheek. "Shisui," she called, making him jump.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know of anywhere we may acquire some food?"

Shisui's first though was the tent where they handed out rations, but he also knew that several people who had owned restaurants before the Kaguya incident had opened up stalls in the civilian district. Seeing it as an important way to keep up morale, the head council had agreed to supply it with food and resources to keep them going.

"Of course," he said. He jumped to his feet and thumped his chest proudly. "Follow me."

* * *

Uchiha Obito had been making his way towards the base gates when he caught sight of Shisui skipping towards the civilian district. That in itself wasn't strange; his cousin liked to hang around the civilian children. Shisui said it was because he liked the way they worshipped him, but almost everyone knew it was because he was simply worried.

Most of the victims during the destruction of their home had been defenseless children.

What surprised him was how the Goddess, Sakura, was walking right next to him, seemingly listening to Shisui's chattering with a smile on her face. She was linked hand to hand with Sasuke, who looked like he was sleeping even as he moved one foot in front of the other. A few steps behind them trailed Naruto, who had his hands linked behind his head. The blond looked around curiously, taking in their surroundings.

None of them seemed bothered by the stares from the people he knew they had long noticed.

Obito watched his younger cousin lead Sakura straight towards a ramen stand and usher them into seats. He saw the owner, a man named Teuchi, look surprised at his sudden customers but he took it in stride. He welcomed them with a large grin and asked for their orders.

Obito would have loved to see a Goddess's reaction to ramen, but he was already late and he knew he should get going. His friend had been assigned to a patrol a while ago, and he was finally back today. He was sure Kakashi wouldn't appreciate it if he were _too_ tardy.

* * *

 **Update!**

 **(Sorr** **y about the LONG silence. Life was busy.)**

 _ **Darque: So, characters are slowly being introduced!**_

 **Raven: Indeed they are. We'll have more of Shisui next chapter, and Kakashi and Obito probably as well.**

 _ **Darque: Keyword is probably.**_

 **Raven: If not, they'd be in the following one.**

 _ **Darque: Also, we set up a discord server!**_

 **Raven: Catch us on** **/bHw6Ddh for chapter update alerts, future stories, future story _ideas,_ maybe polls, fanart, andinformationonwhenwe'llbedeadnext.**

 _ **Darque: What he said :)**_

 **Read and Review~**


	12. Chapter 12

**_Chapter TWELVE_**

Hatake Kakashi had been away from the base for months, and he could feel the feelings he had been trying to suppress while away coming back as he stepped past the guards at the gates and into their final fortress.

This was not the Land of Fire he had known, but the Land of Fire was, at its core, the people, and it simply felt as though the number of his neighbors had increased.

Now only if the unification and alliances had come for a reason other than an invasion by a Goddess.

He had been relatively well updated on the happenings while he had been away. Tsunade sent him regular reports, and Obito, his friend, sent him two letters for everyone the Senju wrote.

As though on cue, Obito bounded up to him. The guard who had just finished performing the security checks stepped back uncomfortably as the Uchiha skidded to a halt by his side. "Kakashi! You're back!"

Kakashi sighed. "Obito," he replied.

Obito grinned. "How was it?"

"Trying." Kakashi nodded at the guard in thanks. Behind him, the rest of his team appeared to have finished their own checks, and he could see the medics moving towards them for their own checks.

"I'll catch you later, Obito," he said. "I have more checks, and I am required to check in with Tsunade-sama."

Obito pouted. "But Kakakshi~" He whined. "You've been away for _ages;_ don't you want to hang out?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes."I have to check in with the _Hokage,"_ he said. "It is required, and protocol."

Obito sighed. "I guess it can't be helped. I gave up on the chance to see something very interesting too, only to be treated like this."

Kakashi glanced over at his friend, curious. He huffed. "I'll find you later, okay?" he said, albeit begrudgingly, but Obito grinned.

"Okay."

* * *

Shisui watched Naruto wolf down his fifth bowl of ramen.

"This-this is _amazing,"_ Naurot said. The blond licked his lips and put down his bowl. He patted his stomach. "Like-wow."

"You've never had ramen?" He asked.

Naruto nodded. "We don't have to eat, though we do it sometimes because food tastes nice, you know? A little hard to find anything too fancy in a forest and all, but it's never bothered me much."

The blond stopped talking at a speed that made Shisui suspect he had bitten his tongue when Sakura turned towards him, napkin in hand, and wiped at his mouth. "You are getting broth everywhere," she chastised him gently.

"Heh." Naruto grinned when she pulled away. "Sorry about that."

Sakura smiled then turned towards Sasuke, who still looked asleep. "I told you you should stay in and sleep."

Sasuke mumbled something that Shisui could not catch, but Sakura sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Naruto snickered. "He's jealous Sakura-chan spent the night with me," he explained. "Even though he had her the entire time I was away."

"She usually sleeps during the night," Sasuke muffled, this time audible enough for him to hear. "You have her most of the time."

Sakura sighed again. "We are not doing much if you are half asleep," she said, sounding amused.

"But I'm out here with you," Sasuke insisted.

"I can stay up," Sakura retorted. "You simply have to ask."

"Don't want you staying up for me."

Sakura flicked Sasuke's ear and the raven groaned in protest. He shifted so that his hair covered his face. "I do not have to sleep."

"What's going on?" Shisui asked curiously. "You don't have to share," he added hastily. "Just curious."

Naruto glanced over at Sakura, who was now whispering something into Sasuke's ear. "Sasuke and I complete each other. There's history there, though it gets so long and complicated I'd rather not go into detail. It's difficult for me to function when the sun is not up, just like it's difficult for Sasuke to function when the sun is up."

"Oh," Shisui glanced over at Sasuke, who was half-heartedly swatting away Sakura's hand from his hair. "How difficult is difficult?"

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "Imagine you haven't slept in five days and you're lying down on a comfortable bed, but you're trying to stay awake."

Shisui winced. "Ouch."

Naruto grinned. "We can stay awake if we force ourselves," he said. "If we're well-rested and well-fed prior, we can manage an entire day or two."

Shisui hummed thoughtfully as Naruto hesitated, before ordering another bowl. Sakura frowned at him and the blond grinned sheepishly. They stared at each other for a while before Sakura smiled in exasperation. Naruto's grin widened and he recalled the order.

Shisui decided he did not have to know exactly how Naruto's stomach worked. "Can I ask..." he hesitated. "Can I ask about the Zetsu?"

Naruto and Sakura shared a look. "The Zetsu?" Naruto asked. "Or specifically the ones I beat up?"

Shisui suddenly felt sheepish, but Naruto simply grinned. He crossed his arms and dramatically puffed out his chest. "I beat them all up," he said simply. "There are a lot of them, sure, but that means I can kill many simply by lashing out in a single direction."

"Which is why you requested no one else be sent out with you."

Naruto shrugged. "I personally don't care," he said. "But I think you people do, and Sakura-chan definitely does."

Sakura slowly put her chopsticks down. Shisui noted the way the wooden utensils were placed neatly together, splitting the bowl perfectly down the middle. "Speaking of Zetsu," she murmured.

In the next second, Shisui felt a familiar signature approaching. "Oh, look! It's Tachi-chan!"

"Tachi-chan?" Naruto asked. Just before Shisui could answer, Itachi appeared at the mouth of the stall.

"Hello, Naruto-san." Itachi then dipped his head politely at Sakura, who had also turned around. "Sakura-sama."

"Hello." Sakura waved him over. "I take your leaders wish to see us?"

A smile tugged at the edge of Itachi's mouth. "Yes," he said. "Onoki-sama was spitting mad when you failed to report in after your return."

"There was nothing about Naruto reporting his return," Sakura said airily.

Naruto blinked. "No, nothing," he agreed.

Itachi appeared to lose his inner battle, and he smiled faintly. "I am aware."

Sakura eyed his cousin for a while before she smiled. She glanced down at her bowl again, then pushed it toward Sasuke. "Eat," she said. "I would like you both present when we greet the humans."

Sasuke flicked open an eye, and the onyx orb that looked around was the single most aware moment Shisui had seen since he had approached them. The raven pulled the bowl towards himself and sat up.

"Give us a moment," she told Itachi.

* * *

Itachi had only been half-serious when he had told Shisui to go see Sakura, but honestly, he was not all that surprised his cousin had gone and done just that.

As usual, walking with the Goddess garnered attention from everyone around them. Itachi was used to the looks being sent his way regardless, and he largely ignored them without so much as a bat of an eye as he led them through the base.

As far as he could tell, it did not bother the Goddess or her Guardians either.

He paused outside the main tent and nodded at the guard stationed there. "Uchiha Itachi," he announced, and seconds later Tsunade called out permission to enter.

The guard pushed aside the tent flap and Itachi stepped through. Three chairs had been set up for Sakura and her companions, but as he walked around the table to sit in his usual seat he saw the pinkette take a seat in the middle, and Naruto and Sasuke taking their positions behind her.

"Good afternoon," Sakura greeted.

"Good afternoon," Tsunade replied. "My apologies, we requested a meeting with you today to discuss the Zetsu your Guardian obliterated."

Sakura smiled. "I am aware," she said. "Go on."

Tsunade glanced over at her fellow leaders. "We have sent out a team to observe the battlefield after your Guardian's return was confirmed. We managed to extract several samples from the Zetsu and our men are running checks and the likes on them as we speak."

Sakura nodded. "Understandable," she said. "Has anything been discovered yet?"

"Not yet," Tsunade told her. "It has barely been a few hours."

Sakura nodded again. "I see." Sakura placed her elbow on the arms of the chair she was seated on and leaned back. "As you probably observed, Naruto is able to clear out entire battlefields, but that becomes increasingly difficult the further away the enemy is, for one. It should also be noted that his techniques will not tell apart friend and foe. Such fighting techniques can only be done in open areas."

"And what do you...suggest we do?" Mei asked.

"As I said, there are many things I would like to confirm," Sakura said. "The most important right now is the Otsutsuki ruins and Kaguya's seal."

Sasuke leaned down and whispered something. Itachi strained his ears but found himself unable to hear what was said. Sakura glanced up at her raven-haired companion, then nodded. "I will head out tomorrow, at dawn, towards the Otsutsuki ruins."

Her announcement was met but a burst of murmurs. "What?" Fugaku burst out. "Are you serious?'

Sakura eyed him strangely. "Why would I joke about such things?" She asked. "It is you that is being pressured by Kaguya. Zetsu continue to grow stronger. The more you engage in combat, the more they absorb knowledge gained from fighting you. Sooner or later, you will be overwhelmed."

"You said the ruins are being used to create them," A said, "If you go there, can you stop that?"

"I can," Sakura said firmly. "That will not stop the creation of Zetsu; they can be multiplied as long as there are dead bodies. Still, it will stop the constant flow of them."

A crossed his arms, frowning.

Sakura glanced between the leaders at the tables. "You can send your men with me," she said, "Just be warned that we will not slow down for you, so keep in mind to send those who can keep up."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Since your Guardian's rampage, the number of Zetsu in points we have been keeping a lookout on has gone down," he said. "It is still an early observation, but the pressure has visibly decreased already."

"You can afford to spare a few men to keep an eye on me," Sakura said.

Tsunade did not react to the comment. "How long do you reckon it will take you?" She asked.

"I will be traveling by air," Sakura said. "However, travel times will be limited. Ideally, I will arrive in two days."

"And you will leave tomorrow morning."

Sakura nodded. She tilted her head, then stood up without a word. "I am aware you will need time to discuss this," she said. "I will be waiting at dawn, at the gates. I will allow the accompaniment of those present by then. I will not wait for those who are late."

* * *

Sakura appeared to have decided she had said what she had come to say. Gaara watched her sweep out of the tent as swiftly as she had come. He could still remember the way she had talked to him earlier, in an almost casual manner,

Beside him, Oonoki slammed his hands down on the table. "Who does she think she is?"

"A Goddess," Mei reminded him patiently.

"We should discuss who we are sending with her," Tsunade said. "As Gaara said, numbers of Zetsu are visibly less than before. Still, we cannot let our guard down."

"A bare minimum," A said. "Any volunteers?"

There was a moment of silence. "Deidara is available," Oonoki finally said, albeit begrudgingly. "If travel is to be by air, an aerial form of transportation will be ideal."

The blond, who had been leaning back on his chair in silence the entire time, sat up and nodded.

"Hatake Kakashi returned this morning," A noted. "That man is skilled."

Tsunade nodded. "I'll have him summoned." Behind her, Shizune bowed and headed out of the tent.

"I suggest C," A said. "He is a skilled sensor and a good medic."

"C has been working with us to extract information from the Zetsu," Sasori spoke up. "He will be of use."

"Kiri suggests Utakata," Mei said. "I will have him accompany them as well."

"The decrease in Zetsu has lessened the pressure on the northern base," a woman from Iwa said. "The patrol party that returned just past noon reported that a path may be cleared to send it proper aid."

Tsunade nodded. "That was discussed earlier today," she said. Gaara nodded; plans regarding the northern base had been talked about in a Kage only meeting in the morning. "Kiri, specifically the Seven Swordsmen, will be dealing with clearing any remaining."

"The Aburame and Inuzuka will bring resources to replenish their stocks," Gaara added. He received confirming nods from the heads of both clans.

"Plans have already been relayed to them," Mei informed them.

"The path to the northern base overlaps with the traveling route to Otsutsuki ruins," Shikaku noted. "If they are to leave tomorrow, they can act as part of the accompanying party until their paths differ."

Mei glanced around at her fellow members, then nodded. "I will tell them that."

Gaara glanced down at the map again. He reached out and move one of the pins that represented Zetsu with one of his fingers. He then traced the now clear route towards the northern hideout. "The men there have been holding out for days," he said softly.

"Once a safe travel path is cleared, we will send reinforcements and replacements," Tsunade said.

"Can this be called breathing room?" Kankuro asked.

"Perhaps," Oonoki said, surprisingly softly. "Who knows how long it will last for."

* * *

A messenger arrived at their tent just before dinner. "Mei-sama summons you to the main tent."

Hoshigaki Kisame looked up from his sword. He frowned. "You who?" He muttered.

"Not me," Momochi Zabuza drawled lazily. "No thank you."

"Not me," Ringo called out.

"Not me," Kuriarare Kushimaru said.

"Not me either," Munashi Jinpachi said.

"I'm not going: Kuriarare Kushimaru said,

"I'd rather not as well..." Choujuro said.

All eyes turned to him, and Kisame realized his mistake. "I asked the question," he muttered in complaint.

"Exactly," Ringo said. "That's all you did."

"We have an agreement," Chourujo added.

"Get going blue," Kushimaru sneered, and Kisame felt his sword humming in his hand.

He sighed. "I went last time," he muttered.

Zabuza laughed. "You just suck at this," he said, and Jinpachi laughed in agreement.

"We'll save you dinner," Jinin said, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Mei-sama must be waiting."

Kisame sighed and stood up.

* * *

The God of Death walked carefully through the wrecks of the battlefield. "Her newest boy sure has made a mess," he murmured.

There was a familiar crunch behind him and he scowled over his shoulder. "I would appreciate a little more care, Haku."

His companion smiled sheepishly and he pointedly removed his foot from where it sunk into the ribcage of a corpse. "My apologies, Kimimaro."

Kimimaro glared at the ice that now latched onto the bone, then at the young male smiling innocently at him. Behind the God of Winter, there were white spots where he had walked, the grass-covered in ice and frost. Haku ignored his gaze as he stepped right up to him. "It's her, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"She went into hiding, didn't she?"

Kimimaro adjusted a piece of bone with his foot so that it was better aligned with the rest of the skeleton. "Whatever happened to no interfering?"

"She was the most adamant about it," Haku agreed. "But I believe the exact words were 'no interfering with human business'."

"Kaguya changes things."

"She is definitely not human." Haku smiled. "I hear the brothers plan to go find her."

Kimimaro scoffed. "They always have been close."

"I also hear she is currently in the heart of the human stronghold."

Kimimaro paused. "Where did you hear that?"

"A little bird told me."

Kimimaro frowned "Is that a human expression?"

Haku smiled. "It is."

Kimimaro sighed. "If she is sticking her head in, I believe it is safe to assume that this conflict will soon come knocking at our doorsteps."

"That is also a human expression." There was a certain smugness behind Haku's light smile.

"What about it?" Kimimaro narrowed his eyes.

Haku shrugged. "Nothing, really." He shuffled around, drawing a five-petaled flower onto the ground with trails of ice. "Shall we join the brothers?"

Kimimaro shook his head. "I cannot deal with their stupidity on a good day, and Kaguya certainly is not making my day good." He overlooked the battlefield. "I say we travel over to the ruins," he suggested instead. "We all know what Kauya wants, after all; Sakura is bound to head there."

* * *

 **We are still looking for friends! Join us on** **/bHw6Ddh (discord) :)**

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 **So, some of le Gods are introduced~~~~~~~!**

 ** _Darque: So, Kimimaro is the God of the Dead, and Haku is God of Winter._**

 **Raven: There will be a few more introduced soon, and PROBABLY a couple more that follow.**

 ** _Darque: Haku and Kimimaro are like, UGH, I like them a lot._**

 **Raven: They do make significant appearances in my of our stories.**

 ** _Darque: They doooo._**

 **Raven: Also, Kakashi and Sasuke.**

 _ **Daruqe: Yeas, they will interact soon.**_

 **Raven: Anyways, we're already writing the next chapter so it SHOULD be up sometime soon.**

 ** _Darque: Indeed, so look forward to that!_**

 **Read and Review~**


	13. Chapter 13

**NEW STORY INFO AT THE BOTTOM!**

 _ **Chapter THIRTEEN**_

Deidara glanced over at Kisame and his team from Kiri as they neared their separation point. He knew the Sevenswordsmen were a rowdy bunch, and the fact that he could not hear their voices from so close worried him just a little.

Did they know something he did not? Or was it simply due to the presence of the Goddess who flew ahead of them?

The relay of patrols had let them know that there were no massive moves by the Zetsu, and the reports appeared overall true as they arrived at the split point with no sightings of the enemy.

The Swordsmen uttered quick farewells before they were off. Deidara could see the fort in the distant, merely a speck in the horizon.

"A lot of humans have died there," Sakura said, and he looked up to see the Goddess reaching out towards the structure.

"It's been a defense point for a long time," Kakashi said. "It's what bought us time to strengthen our stronghold."

Sakura hummed. "A lot of Zetsu were born there too," she said unsympathetically.

Deidara could not stop his mouth from dropping open even as Sakura reached out towards Sasuke. The raven wordlessly picked her up, and they shot up into the air.

"She isn't very empathetic, is she?" Kakashi said airily.

Naruto stretched, then seemed to notice how they all had frozen up. "She's a Goddess," he said in a reminding manner. He almost sounded apologetic. "She was just making a point."

* * *

Travel was a little more uncomfortable after that. Utakata had heard stories about the Goddess, and he had a feeling a part of him had come to expect her to be on their side.

They might be fighting a common enemy, but that did not mean she was on their side.

He sensed the strong chakra signatures in the distance, which he immediately found strange because they were in the air, and he still could not see whatever was letting it off. He narrowed his eyes against the wind, but he could not catch a glimpse of whatever may have been triggering his senses.

He had been subtle, but it appeared Kakashi had noticed. The Hatake looked up. "Do you sense anything?"

Utakata knew Kakashi was a skilled man, one of the most valuable of their forces, and he also knew there was nothing gained from keeping anything suspicious to himself. "I sense two chakra signatures in the distance." He pointed. "But I can't see anything, and my range doesn't go on forever; I should be able to see whatever or whoever it is."

Their bird suddenly dropped into an almost-nosedive. Utakata lowered himself into a crouch to grip on the clay creature. He peeked over and saw Sasuke shooting towards the ground at an even more neck-breaking speed.

"What's his problem?" C asked. The bird straightened itself above the ground, and Utakata saw Sasuke land gracefully on his feet. Deidara landed them soon after, and he watched Sakura hop out of the raven-haired Guardian's arms and onto her feet. Naruto had been waiting on the ground, and he ruffled the Deity's hair.

Kakashi shrugged. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

Sakura spun around to face them. "It appears we are not the first ones to arrive," she said.

Utakata felt Kakashi's gaze on him. "Are they Deities?" He asked.

Sakura smiled at him. "Yes," she said. "You can sense them?"

He felt the gaze of the rest of the party turn towards him, and he nodded. "I can," he said.

The chakra of the Guardians' had been overwhelming, but this was nothing like it. It was as though an entire world's worth of chakra had been condensed into a single spot.

Sakura smiled. "I must admit, I am not surprised," she said. "We will travel the rest of the way on foot. It would be a pity to miss them."

Utakata did not think the Goddess would be missing anything anytime soon, and he also did not think he could miss it if he tried. Still, no one said anything as expressions turned wary.

Right ahead, between them and their destination, were not one, but two, Deities. Sakura had been friendly so far, but they had no way of knowing with the newcomers without actually meeting them. His teammates appeared to have been following his thought process, and C was the first to speak.

"Are they friendly?"

Sakura eyed the man thoughtfully. "We were on the same side against Kaguya," she said. "It has been thousands of years since we last met. We have all been in exile." She smiled. "Do not worry, they will not hurt you."

Naruto stepped up behind the Goddess. Sakura accepted the hand held out to her, and Naruo scooped her up into his arms. "We will be running," she called. "I trust you can keep up?"

* * *

Their travel speed on foot was significantly slower than before, and from the way Naruto had easily kept up with them from the ground it was obvious the Goddess and her companions were slowing down for them.

No, the Guardians were slowing down for them, who knew what the Goddess could do? C eyed the pink hair he could catch glimpses of once in a while. Naruto's broad shoulders hid her rather well.

"There."

C turned away from the Deity and towards Kakashi, before following his line of sight. He winced and instinctively raised a hand towards his face as something reflected light sharply into his eyes.

"What is that?" Deidara asked.

"It is a castle," Sakura's voice was surprisingly clear despite them traveling at high speeds and the softness he had come to associate with her. She said something to Naruto, who raised a hand and slowed down. Soon, they were all skidding to a halt. The blond let the Goddess down on her feet, and she began walking towards the large structure.

Soon, C saw that she was right, it was a castle, made of what he could only assume was mirrors. It had spikes jutting out of it all over the place, and he could say it was not the friendliest castle he had seen. He could also see something approaching them from the direction of it.

Sakura raised a hand, directing them to stop, and they all watched in stunned silence as the mouth of a large bridge stopped a little away from them. Now that it was this close, C could see that the material was not mirrors, but ice.

"He is already aware of our presence," Sakura murmured. She paused for a moment in thought, then stepped up onto the bridge.

C saw Sasuke and Naruto glance at each other, then followed her. Left without much choice, C followed his teammates as they too stepped onto the structure. He instinctively grabbed onto the rail as the bridge began to retract and hissed then he burned his hand from the sheer cold of it.

Strange, he hadn't felt the cold from the ice all despite being surrounded by it. He raised a hand to heal himself when soft fingers wrapped around his calloused hands and Sakura was peering at his palms. He jerked back in shock, yanking his hand out of her grasp.

Sakura did not seem to mind, or perhaps she did not notice. "Hand," she said, her own held out.

C stiffened, but before he could make a choice, Sasuke had appeared behind the Goddess. He put a surprisingly rough looking hand down on her shoulder and pulled her away.

"Sorry about that," Naruto said, softly. He then turned to join Sasuke and Sakura as they talked hushedly among themselves.

An uneasy silence settled as the bridge continued to bring them closer towards their destination. C turned away, momentarily distracted, as the castle came into clear view.

It was impressive, to say the last. It looked like any massive castle, but what took his breath away was that it was actually made of pure ice.

"It is not that difficult."

C turned towards the voice to see that Sakura had once again stepped up behind him. He watched her glance at his hand. "You are a healer."

It was not a question, but he nodded. "Yes."

Sakura hummed, then turned back to the gates that were getting closer and closer. "It is not that difficult," she repeated.

"What isn't?"

Sakura gestured at the castle. "If you can control your hands, you can move them, if you can control ice, you can mold it to your will."

"Are one of the Deities that of ice?"

Sakura smiled. "Perhaps."

* * *

Moments later, the bridge came to slow stop, and Sakura stepped off of it. The gates slowly opened as she stepped up towards them, and Kakashi followed the Goddess as she confidently stepped through. The inside appeared much more simple than the outside and Kakashi soon saw that there only appeared to be one room within.

A throne room.

With someone seated in the throne on the far side.

The white-haired man had the same aura as Sakura, and he looked up with disinterested eyes as they stepped up to him. "Haku called this my castle of loneliness," he said. "What do you think?"

"Are you lonely?" Sakura gestured over her shoulder, and Kakashi took it as a signal to stop. Naruto and Sasuke looked ready to protest, but they did not, and Sakura continued the last bit of distance towards the God before them alone.

"Of course not," a voice called, and the third Deity hopped down from where he had been perched overhead. "He has me."

Sakura stopped a few steps away from them. "Kimimaro, Haku."

"Sakura."

Kakashi guessed the one on the throne was 'Kimimaro', and the other one to be 'Haku'. He watched, alongside his companions, as Sakura stared them down. The two males met her gaze unflinchingly, and just as the silence was getting a little too uncomfortable, even for him, Sakura spoke up.

"It has been a while," the pinkette said. "How have you been?"

"We have been fine, thank you," Haku said.

"Let us get to the point," Kimimaro said at the same time.

Haku glared at Kimimaro. "Why are you always like this?" He asked.

Kimimaro scoffed. "That is my question for you," he retorted. "You are like this when she is around."

Sakura smiled. "And the two of you never change."

Kimimaro turned back to her. "Time is an unknown concept for us."

Sakura hummed in agreement. "That does appear to be the case."

"Are you referring to the hag?" Haku's smile was deceptively pleasing.

"Kaguya, yes."

Kimimaro sighed. "You plan to fight her?"

Sakura hummed a second time. "We agreed to stay away from human business," she said. "Kaguya's appearance makes it our business."

"Maybe if you make it so," Haku chimed in. "I believe many of us planned to stay out of her way."

"Have you considered the effect your decision to interfere will have?" Kimimaro asked.

Kakashi could not see Sakura's expression. Her tone had not changed, once, throughout the conversation and he had a sudden feeling the light words being exchanged was leading to something much, much more meaningful.

"I am not asking anyone to stand by me," Sakura said. "It is you who wished to see me."

"He just wanted to see how serious you were about all this," Haku chirped, smiling. "We all know he planned to step up regardless."

A surge of killing intent seemed to cut through the growing tension. Blocks of ice manifested from nowhere, intercepting the white pointed things that erupted from the ground. "That is enough, Haku."

Ice gathered behind the black-haired God, forming pointed projectiles. Kimimaro did not even look over, but Kakashi could see the way the arm resting on the throne tense ever so slightly. Sakura slowly raised her hand. "Indeed," she said. "That is enough."

Haku frowned as he turned to look at her. Kimimaro narrowed his eyes before he closed them. "Of course," he murmured.

"Only because you ask," Haku said. The ice exploded and vanished.

"I assume you are aware of my plans," Sakura said, like the previous threat of a fight had not happened.

Kimimaro nodded. "It is obvious." He glanced over her shoulder, acknowledging them for the first time as his eyes raked judgingly over their forms. "Why are you with them?" He asked. "I can understand your reasons for getting into contact with them, but what are your reasons for bringing them with you?"

"They do not trust me," Sakura replied easily. "It calms them to be aware of what I am doing."

Haku huffed. "And they do not worry you will kill them?"

"I do not know of human worries." Sakura's tone was dismissive. "I do what I must, they are free to accompany me."

Haku shrugged, appearing to no longer care. "So, how far have you gotten?"

"All the hosts have been located," Sakura replied. "But that is all the clues I have."

"Do the ruins hold answers?"

"That is what I hope to find out."

Haku tapped his chin. "I will go with you," he said. "That was my plan to begin with."

"As will I." Kimimaro looked much more begrudging than his fellow God, but he, too, looked sure of himself.

Sakura nodded. "Have you heard from the others?"

Haku skipped down the stairs and skidded to a halt in front of her. "Jugo asked for our plans," he said. "Once we relay our decision, he will join us."

"The idiots headed out to find you." Kimimaro followed at a much slower pace. He scoffed. "From the way you have come here without them, I assume they missed you."

Haku laughed. "How unfortunate."

Sakura turned away from them. "Haku, God of Ice," she said. "Kimimaro, God of the Dead."

Kakashi realized with a start that she was introducing them. The two Gods turned at their names and eyed them over once again.

"I do not care for their names," Kimimaro said dismissively. "Let us head out."

Haku looked surprisingly apologetic. "He is not very good in crowds," he said, as a way of explanation. "Forgive him."

Kimimaro completely ignored the God of Winter. "What is the delay?"

Sakura smiled. "Nothing," she said. "Shall we head out?"

* * *

"Mangetsu! Mangetsu, you listening?"

The God of the Moon took a calming deep breath and turned around. "Yes, Suigetsu, I hear you loud and clear."

His brother, Suigetsu, God of Water, skidded to a halt beside him. "Sakura is heading to the ruins," he said.

Mangetsu eyed the orange bird that had settled itself in his brother's hair. "I see," he said. "That explains why she was no longer at the human base."

Suigetsu glared out at the distance, where the humans had built themselves a stronghold. "What a waste of time," he muttered.

"Has Jugo made contact with her yet?" Mangetsu turned away from the human construction and began walking.

Suigetsu shook his head. "No," he said. "Her position was relayed to him by Kimimaro and Haku."

"So they got to her first."

Suigetsu shrugged. "Seems like it."

"And what are their plans now?"

"Not sure, but Jugo said he was going to go after them, so I'm assuming they've come to an agreement." Suigetsu kicked at a rock. "This reminds me of the old days," he said. "There were more of us, sure, but it was always against Kaguya."

Mangetsu nodded slowly. "The reason behind our reunion is not what I wished for it to be."

Suigetsu hummed. "True," he said. "But we get to see Sakura again!"

Mangetsu sighed and shook his head in exasperation as his brother quickened his pace. "Come on," he called. "Let's go save pinky from the cold dead duo."

* * *

 **ONESHOT:**

 **Dream Eater**

 **Gaara x Sakura (Written for the GaaSaku Fanfest on Tumblr)**

 **Sakura merely exists as a devour of dreams. She eats for fuel and lives each day just as she had the day before. Gaara had an abusive father. Even when he is gone, nightmares of raining fists continue to haunt him. As the darkness continues to try and welcome him, the boy desperately holding on meets the girl who had long lost herself. Oneshot. DreamEater!AU**

* * *

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 _ **Darque: I'm back in Japan, and Uni is in a week D: I am so sad.**_

 **Raven: You do nothing during your holidays.**

 _ **Darque: I game! And draw! And write stuff!**_

 **Raven:...Right...how about studying?**

 _ **Darque: ? What's that?**_

 **Raven: .**

 _ **Darque: Well, yeah, school sucks.**_

 **Read and Review~**


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